Campfire Magic
by pianaEH
Summary: Harry and Hermione are staying at the Weasleys' for summer break. As the friends spend the summer together, sitting around the campfire, feelings become apparent, and fun is had by all. RHr, some HG
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

"I don't see why we can't just use magic to do this," grunted Ron as he and his twin brothers carried one of the numerous large banquet tables out to the garden.

"Because I what will happen if you do use magic, the table will hit the patio door and we'll have broken glass everywhere." Ron jumped as he heard Mrs. Weasley's voice directly behind him.

"But Mum, this is only the first table that we've brought out, and there are still two more!" groaned Ron as he turned to allow the table to be positioned correctly.

"Well, I'm sorry dear, but if you want your friends to come over, this has to be done," said Mrs. Weasley with finality, letting Ron know that the discussion was closed.

That night the Burrow was going to be packed. The war was over, and it was a gorgeous summer, and Mrs. Weasley decided to celebrate by having a large picnic at the Burrow. All of Ron's friends were coming, along with many other family and family friends. After tonight, Harry and Hermione would be staying with the Weasleys. Harry had inherited 12 Grimauld Place from Sirius, but after two weeks there, he found it dark and lonely, and full of the memories which hurt him most. A summer with the Weasleys would be the best thing for him. Hermione was just fine at home, but she would always be happier with Ron and Harry, and she couldn't let those two have all the fun without her!

"Now, we have 2 hours until the guests start arriving, we need to make sure that everything's ready. I don't want to see anyone dawdling when there's work to be done!" Mrs. Weasley walked into the house to continue preparing what was sure to be an impressive meal.

Ron, Fred, and George all scowled at her behind her back, and then went back to heaving tables around the yard. It had taken them what seemed like forever to get that first table out without magic, and it would surely take much longer to get the other two out. They positioned the first table, and looked back through the window at the other two tables left to be placed in the garden. The twins looked at each other, and Ron suddenly felt nervous. That look could only mean one thing.

"Ya know, there's a way that we could make Mum happy, _and_ not have to lug these tables out all by ourselves," said Fred, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Of course there is, dear brother," replied George.

"What, what are you going to do," Ron said nervously.

"Mum doesn't want us to use magic because she thinks we'll break the doors, right? Well, what if we just take off the doors," said Fred as he took one of the bolts from the right French door.

"No, no, no, no, no!" yelled Ron. "These plans of yours never work, and I'm not getting in trouble because you decided that it would be a great idea to take off the doors. Mum'll have a fit when she finds out."

"Well, she doesn't have to find out, now does she?" replied George, who took the other bolt out of the door. Fred took the door and started walking to the side of the house with it.

"Well, I guess if we're careful, there would be no way for her to find out," said Ron, thinking.

"That's the thinking, little bro," replied Fred, patting Ron on the back. "Now, if you could just help me with this door here, we'll be all set to get these tables out with a snap."

"Or a swoosh," grinned George.

The three brothers got the doors off and out of the way, and Fred picked up his want and chanted, "Wingardium leviosa!" But the table wouldn't budge. Fred tried it again, this time grunting a little bit and using more strength. The table shook a little, but remained planted in the living room. "I think I'm going to need some help here," stated Fred, sweating a little from the effort. Ron and George stood next to Fred, and on the count of three, they all said "Wingardium leviosa!" The table finally started moving, and they moved their wands towards the garden where the other table was. They settled the table down perfectly, and turned to do the same thing with the other table. They did the spell, and the table started coming, but to their dismay, the glass French doors also flew up into the air. Ron started and broke his part of the spell. As he did, the doors pummeled to the ground, the glass shattering and breaking into thousands of tiny pieces.

"Oooh, little Ronniekins is going to be in trouble!" nagged Fred.

"Me! This was your idea in the first place!" shouted Ron, trying not to imagine the horrible things his mother was going to do to him. Just then, he heard a voice behind him.

"Oh, this is so easy to fix, I don't see why you just do it instead of staring at the broken doors."

Ron turned around to see Hermione and Harry standing behind him. Hermione calmly walked up to the broken doors and perform a charm that quickly got rid of the little chards of glass and pieced them back together. The doors looked as if they had never been touched. "C'mon, let's get these doors back into place while the twins get the table set in the garden," said Hermione. Ron just stood there for a moment, stunned. Then he came to his senses.

"What are you two doing here already? You're not supposed to be here for another two hours!"

"We know you're mum, Ron, that's why we're here," said Harry, grinning from ear to ear. "We figured that we'd come and take some of the load that she's giving you off of your back."

"And it looks like we came right on time," said Hermione, smiling. Ron's heart fluttered a little bit. He had nearly forgotten how beautiful her smile was in the last months of school. They all had smiled so little. Ron looked forward to more of those smiles from Hermione; although he still didn't understand why they had the affect they did on him. He just knew that he liked it.

"Harry, Hermione!" shouted a girl about their age, her red hair flowing behind her. "You're early! I'm so glad you're here!" Ginny ran to hug Hermione, then Harry. "You've no idea what it's like living with these three," Ginny nodded to Ron, Fred, and George.

"Hey! It's not like you're any picnic to live with either," said Ron, trying to put a hurt look on his face, but caving in smiling. He and Ginny had always had a great relationship, and all their jibes at each other were wholeheartedly good-natured.

"Oh my goodness, you're here early! How lovely it is to see you!" Mrs. Weasley came out to the garden to see what all the commotion was about. She took Harry and Hermione into crushing hugs before letting them go.

"It's lovely to see you, too, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione politely. "Is there anything we can do to help with the preparations for tonight?"

"Help? No guest of mine is going to help set up! Fred and George can finish up here. Ron and Ginny, why don't you finish preparing your rooms so Hermione and Harry can put their things in there." Fred and George gave their mother another glare behind her back. This time she caught it. "And don't you two whine about doing the rest of the work. You're almost done."

"So, Harry, how's Grimauld Place looking?" asked Ron as he put some of his things away.

"It's a lot nicer now that I finally got Sirius' mother off the wall. Once the war was over, she was too frightened of me to stick around, and she fled from her portrait. I have no clue where she is now," replied Harry. Harry had vowed to do some serious house cleaning once the school year was over. Under Mrs. Weasley's direction the house had become clean, but it was still dark and full of painful memories. Harry wanted his house to be bright and wonderful, like life after the war. Although the house would always hold memories of Sirius, Harry wanted them to be happy memories, not painful ones.

Harry set his stuff down and began to unpack. "I'm glad to be out of there for the rest of the summer, though. I never realized how much work it is going to take to make the house livable. Two weeks of straight spring cleaning is enough for me for one summer."

"Like you don't think my mum's going to have us do the same here?" asked Ron, sitting down on his bed. "Just look at what she's having us do for one night!"

"Oh, but it'll be different here. I'll be among friends, not alone, and it's not full of such painful memories. I'm sure that if your mum has us clean, we could definitely have some fun." Harry smiled, thinking about the great, carefree times he and his friends could have now.

Ron wasn't convinced. To him, cleaning was cleaning, and it was not fun. "C'mon, let's go check on the girls," Ron said as he hopped off his bed.

As Harry and Ron walked toward Ginny's room, squealing and giggling could be heard. "What the bloody hell do you think is going on in there?" Ron asked Harry.

"I don't know mate, but you're going in first," Harry said as he pushed Ron toward the door.

Ron knocked, but the giggling went on. He knocked a little harder, and the sounds subsided. He could hear footsteps, and he was greeted at the door by a pair of chocolate brown eyes. His heart thudded for a moment as he stared into them. A giggle knocked him to his senses. "What's going on in there?" he asked.

Hermione opened the door wider. "Why don't you come in and see?" she suggested, a wry smile on her face. Ron and Harry walked into the room, only to be bombarded by pillows. The girls attacked them from every angle, and they couldn't see where they were coming from. Nor could the boys find pillows of their own to defend themselves with. Finally, as he randomly put his arms out to try to reach something, Ron grabbed Hermione and grabbed her around the waste, she facing away from him.

"You're going to pay for this," Ron growled wryly. He tore away the pillow that had been in Hermione's arms, threw it across the room, and lifted Hermione over his shoulder.

"What on earth are you doing, Ronald!" cried Hermione in a fit of giggles. Ron tossed her on the bed, picked up the discarded pillow, and threw it at her. As Ginny ran after Ron with a pillow of her own, Harry grabbed her by the waist and tossed her on the bed. Then the boys grabbed all the pillows they could find around the room, tossed them on the girls, and then hopped on top of the pillows.

"You reckon we should let them go, Ron?" asked Harry as he tried to keep his balance as Ginny tried to roll around and get out.

"I don't know mate, this was an unprovoked attack," replied Ron. Just then, they heard a shout from downstairs.

"What in Merlin's name is going on up there! Guests are going to be here any moment, and the table has yet to be set!" Mrs. Weasley shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

"Well, I guess now we have to let them go now," said Harry, standing up. "Making your mum mad the first night here is not a good idea."

After picking up the stray feathers around the room and tidying themselves up, the four went downstairs to help set the table for the guests who were about to arrive.


	2. Chapter 2

Ron sat across from Hermione, watching her eat and laugh with the others who had come. Along with Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny, Ron's entire family was there. Added to the crowd were Seamus, Dean, Neville, Luna, Angelina, and Katie. There was hardly any elbow room, but the meal was delicious and everyone was happy and having a good time.

Hermione laughed again, and Ron looked up from his overflowing plate. That laugh got him every time. Throughout the meal he had been stealing glances at Hermione, and it may have been his imagination, but he thought she saw him steal a couple of glances, too. _No way_. Ron thought. _She must see me glancing at her…I've gotta stop this! She's my best friend!_

"Earth to Ron…wake up!" said a voice to Ron's right.

"Wha- Oh, I'm sorry Dean, what were you saying?" said Ron, coming out of his stupor.

"You up to a game of Quidditch?"

"Yeah, of course! Who else is playing?" asked Ron, glad to have something to take his mind off of Hermione.

"Harry, you, Ginny, Seamus, Fred, George, Katie, Angelina, Hermione, and me," replied Dean.

Ron nearly choked. "Hermione!"

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?" Ron swung around to see Hermione standing there with a broomstick in her hand.

"Uh, no, of course not! It's just that you never want to play Quidditch. You hate flying!"

"Well, I have to learn sometime, now don't I?" said Hermione, her free hand on her hip.

"Well, yeah, I guess," replied Ron, red creeping up his face showing how embarrassed he was at questioning Hermione.

"I am going to need someone to help me, though. Ron, would you help me while we play?" Hermione asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Uh…sure, I guess," said Ron, wondering how he was going to be able to keep his mind off of her if the only way he had to clear his mind was suddenly invaded by exactly what was always on his mind.

The ten of them kicked off, Harry, Seamus, Fred, Angelina, and Ginny on one team, and Ron, Hermione, Dean, George, and Katie on the other team. As the players flew around, tossing the quaffle back and forth, Ron flew next to Hermione and shows her the ropes of the game. His nearness to Hermione for such a concentrated amount of time gave Ron butterflies in his stomach. He passed them off as just nerves due to the fact that he had to watch out for her, along with watching out for himself and the quaffle.

"Hermione, duck!" yelled Ron as Fred sent a bludger his way. Hermione ducked down, and nearly fell off of her broom. She hung upside down from her broomstick, shaking.

"I got it, I got it!" shouted Harry as he grabbed the golden snitch. The players all slowly descended to the ground, save Ron and Hermione, who were trying to get her right-side up on her broom so she could make the descent safely.

"Here, drop your legs so you're just hanging on with your arms…that's it. Now, I'll raise my broomstick so you can sit on it. There you go," said Ron, getting Hermione safely onto his broom. As they descended, Hermione grabbed Ron's waist for extra security. He could feel her entire body trembling with fright.

When they were safe on the ground, Ron put a comforting arm around Hermione's shoulders and led her to a lawn chair that was sitting next to a fire pit. "Why don't you sit here for awhile and calm down. I'll bring you some lemonade."

"Thanks Ron," mumbled Hermione, looking down at the ground. Ron figured that this must have not only been frightening, but embarrassing for Hermione. She was so good at everything, that when there was something she found that she wasn't good at, it embarrassed her to show that weakness in front of others.

"I wonder what possessed her to try to play Quidditch," said Ron to Ginny and Hermione as he walked by to get the lemonade he had promised Hermione. "She has always been afraid of flying, and she hates to show her weaknesses." Harry shook his head, showing that he had no idea. Ginny just shrugged her shoulders, but Ron could swear that he saw the tiniest hint of a smile on her face.

Ron brought Hermione her lemonade and took a seat next to her. "I'm sorry Ron. I don't know what got into me. I had no business trying to play Quidditch when I'm so afraid of flying. And now here you are, trying to take care of me when there are all these guests here."

"No, don't worry about it Hermione. You're okay, and that's all that matters. I think I'm going to start the fire. Will you be alright if everyone comes over here?" Hermione nodded, and Ron went towards the house to collect more chairs for by the fire.

Later that night, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, and Neville were still sitting by the fire. Neville and Luna had left, saying that they both had to get up in the morning. The twins, Angelina, and Katie had gone inside to look at Fred and George's latest inventions.

"I sure hope that those girls are still alive at the end of the night," said Ginny, looking at the house. "I really don't get what they see in those two."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron, oblivious. The rest of them snorted.

"You don't see what's going on?" asked Hermione, flabbergasted. "They fancy each other! Everyone can see it."

"So I'm not everyone," huffed Ron. The others looked everywhere but at Ron and Hermione. They could see that another row was starting, and they did not want to get into the middle of it.

"I never said that, Ronald. I just meant that most people can see what is plainly in front of their eyes!"

Before Ron could retort to Hermione's comment, Harry burst in, ready to end the row before it got too bad. "Okay, we get the point. Ron, now you know what's going on between the twins and the girls. Thank you, Hermione, for pointing that out to him. Let's drop it and go on to other topics." The others gave him grateful looks.

"School this year is going to be so weird, what with no war and all," said Ginny.

"Yeah, we're going to have so much weight off of our backs," replied Harry.

"Finally! Now maybe you can all concentrate on your _schoolwork_," smiled Hermione.

"Ha, I don't think that's going to happen," replied Seamus. "This year I'm concentrating my new found energy into Quidditch."

"Hear, hear!" shouted Harry, Ron, and Dean.

"Well, I guess you _do_ deserve some fun after the war," Hermione conceded.

"This is enough for me," said Ron. "Sitting around a campfire, in the open, smiling, talking with friends. It's like heaven."

"I agree with you, Ron," said Hermione. "I'd much rather just sit here and relax, and be with friends." As she said this she looked directly at Ron, who was glad for the dark night and dancing campfire light that masked his rising blush.

"Well, I must be off. My mum will kill me if I stay out too late," said Seamus, stretching after sitting so long by the campfire."

"Same here," echoed Dean. "She'll think I'm up to no good if I'm not home soon."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny watched as Seamus and Dean Apparated home. For a couple of minutes, they just sat there, staring into the flickering flames. The campfire was almost like the light at the end of the tunnel. They had been through so much together. They survived, and now shared this light that celebrated that survival.

Ginny yawned. "Well, it seems that I am ready to go to bed. Have a good night everyone, see you in the morning!" Ginny got up and walked toward the house. As she did, Harry started to get up.

"Bed sounds good to me, also. Goodnight and I'll see you at breakfast." Harry walked up the slight hill to the house, and Hermione and Ron continued to sit there. They both gazed into the fire. Well, Ron also gazed across the fire, and watched Hermione as she gazed into the fire. As he watched the reflection of the fire flicker in her eyes, he thought about how the fire illuminated her face just perfectly. Suddenly, Ron saw Hermione's eyes meet his, and at the same time they both said, "I'm sorry."

They both dropped their gaze to look around for a bit. Neither of them had really ever apologized before, and to do so at the same time somewhat unnerved them.

"I should have never gotten so worked up about what you said. I knew what you meant. I just felt so stupid, not seeing what everyone else did," said Ron, still averting his gaze from Hermione.

"No, I should have never said anything to make you feel ignorant." Hermione cracked a sly smile. "It's not your fault that you're so dense."

"Dense? Who are you calling dense?" replied Ron. He gave Hermione one of his lopsided smiles that girls fawned over.

"You, of course. Or are you so dense that you don't even know how dense you are?" As Hermione said this Ron got up from his chair.

"That's it, you're going to get it now," Ron said as he moved toward Hermione's chair. Hermione got up just in time and Ron chased her to the house. They both slowed down to a walk as they neared the house, not wanting to wake anyone up. They stood outside the door, and just before walking into the house, Hermione got on her tiptoes and kissed Ron on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Ron. See you in the morning." Hermione walked into the house, leaving Ron behind, his hand on the cheek she had kissed.

"Goodnight, 'Mione," he said to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Nor did I own Harry Potter when I posted the last chapter.

As Ron walked downstairs the next morning, he heard roaring laughter coming from the kitchen. Not being a morning person, he became disgruntled. _There goes my peaceful breakfast_. He thought. He poked his head through the door, and there sat Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George. They looked at him for a second, look at each other, and burst into another round of laughter.

"What the bloody hell is so funny" asked Ron.

"Must you swear?" asked Hermione through giggles. The five at the table were still unable to control their laughter as Ron poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat down.

"Fred and George were just telling us some stories from when you were little," said Harry, with a grin on his face wider than Ron had ever seen before.

_Oh, no._ Thought Ron._ This is exactly what I need. Fred and George telling all my friends everything that they did to me when I was little. What's Hermione going to think?_

"Ron, do you remember the time we accidentally levitated you and you flew around the room?" asked George, beaming from ear to ear. "You got so sick afterward!"

"Accidentally? You were preparing that for weeks! You stole one of Charlie's spell books and practiced on my stuff animals. Not only was a traumatized by stuff animals that could move on their own, my own brothers flew me around the room!" exclaimed Ron, trying not to crack the smile that was forming behind his lips.

"Wait a minute, _Fred and George_ cracked open a book when it wasn't necessary?" said Hermione.

"We would do anything to torture our ickle Ronniekins," explained Fred.

"You still do," said Ron, somewhat crossly.

"Oh, what's the matter ickle Ronniekins, are we embarrassing you?" cooed Fred.

"We're so sorry ickle Ronnie, we didn't want to embarrass you in front of you g-,"

"Whatever, let's just talk about something else," Ron interrupted before the twins could say anything even _more_ embarrassing.

"What do we want to do today?" asked Harry. "The weather's fantastic, and we have all the time in the world!"

"Perhaps we should get a jump start on our homework," said Hermione, being practical as always.

"Hermione, I've got great news for you! Dumbledore declared that there would be no more summer homework from now on!" exclaimed Ginny excitedly.

"What? No homework?" asked Hermione, looking disappointed.

"Don't worry, Hermione, we'll make sure that there's plenty to do. Perhaps you can learn to fly," suggested Ron.

"That's quite a, a _responsible_ suggestion, Ron," Hermione said, looking somewhat taken back.

"Well, yeah. I'm not _thick_, you know," retorted Ron, a lopsided smile on his face. Hermione smiled back.

"Well, this was all very nice, but we still haven't decided what we're going to do today," said Harry.

"I thought we had," replied Ginny. "Aren't we going to teach Hermione to fly?"

"To-today?" asked Hermione nervously.

"Well, of course. You always want to get a jump start on your homework, and since this is your homework for the summer, I figured you'd want to start right away."

"Well, when you put it that say, I guess so," said Hermione, giving in.

"Well, I guess that's settled. I'm going to get my broom," said Ginny. Hermione got up, and Harry followed. Fred and George started to stand up, but Ron stopped them.

"No way are you going to "help" Hermione fly. You're the last ones that she needs helping her." With that the twins sat down and both gave Ron wry smiles. Ron chose to ignore them and walked out the door in search of his broom.

As Ron walked outside he shielded his eyes from the sun. _Wow, it's gorgeous out. Perfect flying weather_. The wind was strong enough to keep the brooms a flight without much effort, but it wasn't strong enough to push the brooms off of their directed courses.

Harry and Ginny were already outside, trying to coax Hermione out of the shed. "C'mon Hermione, we won't let anything happen to you. We'll take is slowly. Step by step," said Ginny.

"Where's that Gryffindor courage of yours?" said Harry.

"Maybe she doesn't have any," said Ron, a smile on his face. "Maybe she's just chicken." His comment had the desired effect.

"I am not chicken, Ronald Weasley, and I'll prove it to you!" Hermione mounted her broom, and kicked off into the air. She wobbled a little bit, then straightened out, floating in one spot. "See? I can do this." The other three kicked off and joined Hermione in the air.

As Ron, Harry, and Ginny flew around the yard with ease, Hermione gripped onto her broomstick so tightly that her knuckles were white. She didn't go anywhere, but instead she just sat there, suspended in one spot in the air.

"Hermione, you can't just sit there like that!" exclaimed Ginny. "You'll never get used to flying if you don't move!"

"No, I'm just fine where I am, thank you," replied Hermione. Ron flew up next to Hermione.

"I have an idea," said Ron. "Let's both slowly descend to the ground, first." So the two of them slowly, very slowly in Hermione's case, and set down on the ground.

"Now, get off of your broomstick, and sit on mine in front of me," said Ron. Hermione gave him a weird look, but did what he asked anyway. "Now, I want you to do everything. I'm here if you need help, but I know that you can fly. I'll be right here with you."

Hermione kicked off and she and Ron flew higher and higher into the air. Once she got to a good height, Hermione stopped. "Now, go forward. There you go." Ron said as Hermione eeked the broom forward. Ron kept his arms around Hermione's waist to steady her, and to keep himself on the broom. He was nervous at being so close to Hermione, and wondered if she could sense his nerves.

After they had flown forward for a little while, then to the left and right a little bit, Ron and Hermione got down and off the broom.

"Thanks, Ron. You have no clue how much better I felt knowing that you were with me." Ron felt the tips of his ears turn red at Hermione's thanks.

"Well, you did very well yourself today. Maybe tomorrow you can try without me," Ron replied, regretting not being able to share her broom with her again.

"I don't know if I'm doing _that_ well, but we'll see tomorrow," said Hermione. Harry and Ginny dismounted their brooms and walked over. Their clothes and hair were disheveled from a brisk fly around the neighborhood.

"Well, what should we do now?" asked Ginny.

"Actually, I had this idea last night. I don't know if you three would want to do it, though," said Hermione, nervously.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"Well, while we were sitting around the campfire last night, I really had an itch to have an _actual_ campfire, while camping," said Hermione.

"That's a great idea!" said Ginny. "I've never been camping before, but it sounds like so much fun!"

"Where would we go?" asked Harry.

"Oh, no place far. I thought that maybe on the other side of that lake there would be a good spot. We'd be far enough away to be on our own, but we'd be close enough to the house to get anything that we forget, or in case it rains or something."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, let's go ask Mum. If she says yes, we can get ready right away," said Ron, excited at the prospect of going off with his two best friends and favorite sibling for a couple of nights.

"Alright, let's go!" exclaimed Hermione. The four trudged up the hill to the house. As she went in, Hermione gave Ron a huge grin. He smiled goofily as he followed her into the house.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! They made me smile 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Mrs. Weasley was fine with the idea of the four friends going camping, provided that they did stay close to the house, as Hermione had suggested earlier. They had all gone to bed early that night, wanting to get some rest before their day full of preparations.

The next morning, Ron awoke early. He rolled over and grumbled when he saw that the clock said 6:30. "Too early..." he mumbled. He rolled over and tried to sleep, but his efforts were fruitless. Finally he just decided to get up and get some breakfast.

When he walked into the kitchen, he discovered that he was not the only one who awoke early. "Morning Hermione. What are you doing up? This is early, even for you."

"I was meaning to ask you the same thing, except that last part. Early for you is before noon," she smiled. "But to answer your question, I was too excited about today to sleep any longer. I love getting ready for things like this, and I'm so excited to camp again."

Ron poured some milk into his cereal. "Yeah, I guess it's the same here. I'm not awake because I didn't try to fall back asleep, though."

"I guessed that, from the messier-than-usual hairstyle you seem to be sporting this morning." Ron ran his fingers through his hair, trying to flatten his red locks. "So, what do you think we should do with all this time to kill before Harry and Ginny wake up?"

"Maybe we should have another flying lesson." Hermione eyed him nervously. "Oh, come on. You did just fine yesterday. You're still here today, aren't you? And all in one piece, how 'bout that."

"Well, fine," gave in Hermione.

"I had an idea for what should be your next step," said Ron, all excited about his plan. "I figure that you aren't ready to go on a broom on your own," Hermione nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with him, "and I thought that maybe we should tie the ends of two brooms together. We'll take your broom, and tie the back end to my broom, then do the same with the front ends, so it's a sort of double broom, and we'll sit side-by-side. You'll do all the directing and what not, and I'll just be on the broom next to you, ready in case you get nervous or in a bind."

"Ron, that's brilliant!" exclaimed Hermione. Ron's face turned a bright crimson color. "Are you sure that my directions will be heeded by both brooms, though? What if my commands aren't strong enough for me and my broom, and you and your broom?"

"We'll just have to worry about that if it comes to that, I guess," replied Ron. Ron and Hermione walked out into the yard. Ron was in a daze. _She thinks my idea is brilliant!_ Ron was always so impressed with himself after Hermione complimented him like that. It felt great to be thought of as brilliant by the most brilliant witch of his year, and by his brilliant friend.

They each carried a broom, and Ron carried two lengths of rope. He tied the brooms together in the manner that he had described to Hermione, and they mounted the brooms with much shifting around so Hermione's right and Ron's left leg both fit in between the brooms.

"On three, you ready? One…two…three!" Hermione kicked off the ground, and she and Ron went soaring into the sky. The plan was working perfectly. The two brooms took Hermione's suggestions with ease, and Ron's added weight seemed to have no affect. Perhaps because Ron was watching Hermione's movements, and directing his broom in accordance with how she directed hers. They flew higher and higher, until they were as high as the treetops. Hermione was a lot more comfortable than she was yesterday, but she still stuck with gradual turns and slow speeds. Ron couldn't think. His leg was so close to Hermione's, and at the places where they touched his skin was red hot.

_What if she notices?_ He wondered. _What if she can tell that I'm this nervous around her?_ But when he looked at Hermione, he didn't see any hint that she detected his nervousness. She finally did not look that nervous herself. Her eyes were wide and bright at the exhilaration of being up in the air, and she was concentrating so hard on what she was doing, she did not have the capacity to notice how Ron was feeling.

After about an hour they landed and dismounted, Ron regretting the loss of nearness to Hermione. When they got into the house, Harry and Ginny were in the kitchen, just finishing up their breakfast. They four got ready and then headed to the Muggle grocery store to pick out food for their camping trip.

"Now, Ron, I'm warning you now, DO NOT GO OVERBOARD! There will be a lot of food in here, and I'm sure you have the capacity to eat it all, but we don't have the money to buy it for you," said Hermione cautiously.

"Seriously, Hermione, what do you take me for? I can control myself, and I don't eat that much." Harry and Ginny burst out laughing.

"Ron, you're doing better on that first one, although you still can't completely control yourself, but you don't eat that much? That's the biggest lie I've ever heard!" By this time Ginny was laughing so hard that she had tears in her eyes, and Harry could barely get the words out of his mouth. Ron looked to Hermione and saw that she was trying not to laugh behind her hand, but he could see the laugh in her eyes. Even though he knew that the laughing was at his expense, he felt it was worth it to see the laughing in those chocolate brown eyes. Ron thought about what he had said, and started laughing at himself. He knew that he ate more than the other three combined. There was no saying otherwise.

Once the four had some semblance of control over their laughter, they had arrived at the grocery store. Harry and Hermione walked easily through the automatic door, but Ron and Ginny stood outside looking nervous.

"Don't sorry about it. There's a sensor underneath the mat, and when you step on it, the door opens. It stays open until you get off of the mat on the other side of the door," explained Hermione. At this, Ginny walked through tentatively, but Ron stayed outside, not daring to enter until after Ginny had cleared the doorway on the other side, and the door had closed again. He was _not_ going to be seen getting trapped in a Muggle trick door.

Ron forgot all about the door once he looked up at the store. He could not believe the amount of food that was in front of him! Ginny's eyes went wide, then she composed herself and looked like she had been to a grocery store a hundred times before.

"Ron, if you stand there like that, the workers are going to have to come and mop up the drool that you're leaking onto the floor," said Hermione. "You need to act like this is normal for you. These are all Muggles, and this is an average Muggle thing to do. If you goggle like that, they're going to know that something's amiss," added Hermione in a low voice. With that Hermione got a grocery cart and led the group into the store.

They walked through the store, going up and down all of the aisles to make sure that there was nothing that they wanted that they missed. They got to the checkout, and Hermione and Harry started to load the items onto the moving conveyer belt. Ron and Ginny just stared. Ginny tried to hide her amazement, while Ron's mouth was yet again to the floor. "Ron, you can't do that! I'll explain later," hissed Hermione discreetly. They check out and then left the store, each laden with two full grocery bags.

On the walk back, Ron asked about the check-out lane. "What is that thing that you put the groceries on?" he asked.

"That's a conveyor belt. They hit a button underneath the counter, and it moves the groceries nearer to them. It saves a lot of time and energy. Some have sensors, and know to move when there is something placed on them," explained Hermione.

Ron was awed by what Muggles and figured out how to do without magic. Maybe he was a little like his father.

Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny got back to the house and put the groceries on the table. "You're going to eat all of that?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"We don't know. But we have Ron with us, remember? This food might just last us a day," laughed Hermione. Ron stuck his tongue out at her. After putting the food away, the four started getting their gear together.

Ron and Harry were up in Ron's room, packing. Ron got out his trunk, while Harry got out a large duffle bag. "Ron, what are you doing?" asked Harry.

"I'm packing," replied Ron, like Harry was crazy.

"You don't take trunks camping. They're too big and clunky," replied Harry.

"What else am I supposed to use?" asked Ron ask he put some shirts into his trunk.

"Here, have one of these," said Harry as he tossed Ron another duffle bag. "These are much better for camping. They aren't hard, so when you're not using them, you can fold them up, and they're lighter, too."

"Thanks, Mate," said Ron. "Have you gone camping before?"

"Only once, and it wasn't very fun that time. Dudley and his scout troop went for a weekend once, and I was dragged along. Uncle Vernon did not like the idea of leaving me alone with Aunt Petunia," replied Harry. Ron looked worried.

"Oh, don't worry. The others had loads of fun. It wasn't fun for me because they didn't let me do anything. I'm so excited to be going with my friends and doing everything!" Ron looked relieved. He didn't think that Harry would let him do something that he knew was not fun, but he had still been worried when Harry told Ron how he felt about his first camping experience.

"Just think of it, no adults, just the four of us," said Harry. "Isn't it going to be great?"

"Yeah," agreed Ron. He didn't want to say what he was really thinking. _No obligations, no annoyances, just me and Harry and Ginny, and especially Hermione_. He was excited and nervous at the prospect of being away with Hermione.

"You done packing yet, Ron?" asked Harry. "If you are, then let's go down and check and see how the girls are doing. You know how long they take with stuff like this." With that the two boys carried their duffle bags to the living room, and then went back upstairs to look in on the girls.

Harry knocked on the door. "Is it safe to come in?" he asked.

"Yes," he heard Ginny call from within. Harry opened the door and saw the girls standing there, their bags in their hands, all packed.

"Wow, we thought that you two would be hardly done!" exclaimed Ron.

"We're going camping, not on a fancy trip," replied Hermione. "You don't need to take as much stuff. It's not like there will be a chance to go to a fancy restaurant or something, you're in the woods!"

The girls carried their bags and placed them with the boys' bags. "Now we need tents," said Hermione. "Do you have any here?"

"Just the one from the Quidditch World Cup, but that's not usable," replied Ginny.

"Why not?" asked Hermione.

"Well, Fred and George decided that they would live in it on week over the holiday break, and when they were done with it, it was completely trashed," explained Ginny.

"What are we going to do then?" asked Harry.

"Never fear…we're here!" The four turned around and saw Fred and George at the top of the steps, carrying two tents.

"Where did you get those?" asked Ginny.

"We made them," said George proudly.

"No, we're not using any tents made by you two," said Ron.

"Don't worry little brother, they are perfectly safe and trap-free. The only thing we did was make them invisible to bears," said Fred.

"Bears?" asked Ron.

"Yes, don't you know that there are bears in dem dere woods?" asked George.

"Yeah, right. There aren't bears near here, they are too many people," said Hermione matter-of-factly.

"All the more sweets to attract the bears," said George. "I would suggest taking these. Besides, what else do you have to use?"

"He's right," said Harry. "We'll take them," he said to Fred and George. The twins looked at each other with mischievous smiles on their faces.

"Have fun," sang Fred and he and George went back up the stairs, leaving the tents near the top. Harry grabbed the tents and put them by their duffle bags. Ron let out a loud yawn.

"Wow, today must have been more tiring than I thought," he said. Harry and Ginny nodded in agreement, and they headed up the stairs. Ron noticed that Hermione hadn't followed, and went back down to see why.

When he got there, he saw Hermione half-sitting and half-lying down on the couch. She was fast asleep. Ron got a pillow, put it on one end of the couch and carefully placed Hermione's head on it. Then he pulled her legs straight out so she was lying down. Then he got a blanket off of a nearby chair and covered her with it, tucking the edges in so none of the cool night air could get in. He hesitated a second, then kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight Hermione," he whispered, then he headed upstairs.

A/N: I'm sorry that this story is slow going, but I like to put details in. I promise, they'll leave for the camping trip next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, etc.

The next morning Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all woke early, too excited for the camping trip to sleep. They picked up their duffle bags and headed towards the lake behind the Weasleys' house.

"Why are these tents so bloody heavy?" asked Ron, exasperated.

"They have metal rods so they will stay together," replied Hermione.

"I know that, I was just commenting," snapped Ron.

"Do you want me to carry it for awhile?" asked Hermione.

"No, I can do it. I'm not weak," replied Ron.

"Oh, just let it go," said Ginny. "Ron, they're heavy, let Hermione carry it the rest of the way. We're almost there, and it won't make you any less masculine." Ron gave Ginny a snide look, then handed the tent over to Hermione.

"At least let me take your duffle bag if you're going to carry the tent," he said to Hermione.

"Why thank you, I'd appreciate that," replied Hermione, giving Ron a smile. He felt the tips of his ears twinge pink.

The four arrived at the camping site Hermione had scoped out previously, just on the other side of the lake on the edge of the Weasleys' property. With a flick of her wand, Hermione had both tents set up in about 3 minutes. Ron and Harry took their bags into their tent and started to set up, and the girls did the same. The boys were done in no time, and started to dig a fire pit. Harry went off to find some large rocks to circle the fire pit, and Ron dug the hole. It was hot outside, and Ron became very warm while shoveling. As he was taking his shirt off, he heard someone behind him.

"Put it back on! We don't need to see that!" he turned around and saw Ginny and Hermione standing behind him.

_Did Hermione say that?_ Ron thought nervously. He didn't want her to be the one to have said that, but he didn't know how he'd react if she had done something else, like whistle. It all was just too confusing for him!

Ron turned a deep shade of red. "Oh, lay off Ginny, it's hot outside!" exclaimed Hermione. Ron let out a breath of air that he just realized that he was holding in. She was not the one who had said that. It was his sister. If he hadn't been so nervous, he'd have picked out Ginny's voice in an instant.

Ron was embarrassed to be seen like this in front of Hermione, although he was curious to see the look she was giving him. Was it an _appraising _eye? He shook the thought out of his head. _No, stop it Ron! She's your best friend, and she doesn't think of you like that! Now put your shirt back on, before you get redder and more uncomfortable_. Ron quickly put his shirt back on and went back to digging.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. I'm not embarrassed, and you shouldn't be, either," said Hermione.

_What does she mean by that?_ wondered Ron. Although Hermione had said that she wasn't embarrassed, Ron thought he saw her cheeks redden a little, but he dismissed it, telling himself that it was just the heat of the day.

"I'm ba-ack!" Harry shouted, carrying a bucket filled with good sized rocks for the fire pit. Ron quickly finished digging it, and Harry put the ring of rocks around the fire pit. The girls brought some firewood over, and the lit a fire so they could start lunch.

"How are we going to cook on this open fire?" asked Ron, rubbing his stomach.

"Once the fire is high enough, I'll show you. Don't worry, you'll get to eat," said Hermione.

When the fire was high enough, Hermione got out four metal sticks that had rubber on one end, and two prongs sticking out from the other. "Now, take a hot dog, and stick it on the two prongs, like this." Hermione put the hot dog on the long way, so when she pointed the stick straight up in the air, the hot dog was placed across the top of the two prongs. The four sat back, making and eating their hot dogs.

"Now this is the life," said Harry as he put a third hot dog on his roasting stick. "Sitting back, making food over an open fire, no worries, no nothing."

"Mhmm," agreed Ginny as she chewed her hot dog. She swallowed. "I might never want to leave!"

"How about you, Ron, are you enjoying yourself?" asked Hermione.

"All the hot dogs I can eat, I love it!" said Ron as he put his 6th hot dog on his roasting stick.

"You'd better be careful, or you're going to get sick," warned Hermione.

"Thank you, _Mother_, I'll keep that in mind," replied Ron.

"Well, you don't have to get all snippy," said Hermione.

"It doesn't really matter, you two," cut in Harry. "That's the last hot dog Ron's cooking right now."

"Good, now we can get on to doing something else. What should we do this afternoon?" asked Ginny.

"Maybe we should go on a hike," suggested Harry.

"Yeah! It'll be a great way to get to know the area, and it's a gorgeous day to go walking in the woods," commented Hermione.

"Woods?" asked Ron nervously. He was thinking of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. Hermione caught on in an instant.

"It's perfectly safe. It's a normal forest. There are no huge spiders, giants, or flying cars in these woods," she assured Ron.

The four cleaned up lunch and banked the fire, and then they headed off on their hike. Hermione was right, the weather was perfect and the day was gorgeous. They looked up at the trees and saw a beautiful blue sky between the perfectly green leaves. _Everything is perfect today. Perfect weather, perfect sky, with all my wonderful friends plus a perfect girl...no! Why do I keep doing this! It's Hermione! Best friend Hermione!_ Ron told himself that over and over again, but he could not do anything to get that beautiful laugh out of his head.

Ron was deep in thought when he felt something hit his back and stick there. "Wha-!" he shouted. Whatever had jumped on his back put its hands over his eyes and shouted, "Guess who!"

Ron grumbled and took the hands from his eyes. "Get off, Ginny!"

"You wouldn't ask Hermione to get off," whispered Ginny in his ear before complying. Ron's face burned red.

"Hey, Ron, I bet that I can get to the bend in the trail twice as fast as you can," said Harry, a twinkle in his eye.

"Nice try, Mate, but I'm sure that I can get there three times as fast as you can," Ron challenged back. Harry started to run. "Hey, no fair! You have a head start!" shouted Ron as he started running after Harry. Although Harry had the head start, Ron beat him by about a second.

"Ha, neither of you won!" shouted Ginny.

"What are you talking about, I won!" said Ron, confused.

"No, you said that you could get to the bend three times as fast as Harry could. You barely won!" said Hermione, laughing.

"Harry got a head start!" claimed Ron. Hermione just shook her head and laughed, and they dropped the subject.

"I'll get you next time," Ron said to Harry in a low voice.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Harry replied, also in a low voice.

"Yeah? How'd you like to have your butt whipped….NOW!" shouted Ron as he started running toward the next bend in the path. Harry chased after Ron, laughing. Ron was meters ahead of Harry, but when he got to the bend in the path, he discovered that he was not the only one there. The girls were standing in front of him, hands on their hips!

"How in the bloody hell did you get here so fast?" asked Ron, panting.

"I know a shortcut," said Ginny, smiling. She gave Hermione a wink.

"Merlin's beard, how'd you get here so fast?" asked Harry, also panting. "You're not even tired. Wait, you cheaters!"

"What?" asked Ron, slow on the uptake.

"They apparated, that's what!" said Harry.

"What's the point of going on a hike if you're just going to apparate?" asked Ron.

"What's the point of going on a hike if you two are just going to keep running away from us?" asked Ginny, smiling.

"Point taken," conceded Harry. "I'll just have to whip Ron another day."

"Whip me? I'm the one who beat you twice!" said Ron, as the two walked ahead of the girls and started arguing over who would be who in the next race.

By the time the four got back to the campsite, it was just about time for dinner. Out of her duffle bag, Hermione pulled out four iron sticks. Each had two wooden handles at one end, and at the other end there was a square. When the handles were spread apart, the square opened to reveal a sort of a pocket.

"These are pudgy-pie makers," said Hermione. "You can use them to make things like little pizzas or grilled cheese over the fire.

"Sounds great," said Ron. His stomach rumbled loudly.

"Sounds like perfect timing to me, Ron," said Harry, laughing.

Hermione set everything they needed on the table. There was bread, cheese, pizza sauce, pepperoni, ham, and various other things that could be used in pizza or grilled cheese. It was laid out in assembly line order, and the four got to work putting together their meals. For dessert, Ginny showed them how to take small bits of dough and roll them in cinnamon and sugar, then cook them over the fire until they were warm.

"How on earth are we supposed to eat these if they keep falling into the bloody fire?" asked Ron as his third try at a dough ball fell into the fire.

"It takes practice and concentration. Here, have this one," said Ginny as she pulled one out of the fire in perfect condition. Ron popped it into his mouth and tried to protest, but couldn't say anything due to the sweet gooey dough ball that filled his mouth.

"I don't see why it's so hard for you, Ron," said Hermione, who was sitting next to Ron. "This is my fourth one, and I haven't dropped one yet!"

Ron gave her a dirty look. Harry, meanwhile, was having as much trouble as Ron was.

"Hermione, I'm with Ron. This is no easy feat. Besides, you've probably done this before."

"You'll be able to do it in a couple of nights, I promise," said Hermione.

By the time the four cleaned up from dinner and stretched out in front of the campfire again, it was pitch black. They looked up at the sky and saw the stars shining brightly. They also saw the brightest, fullest moon they had ever seen.

"I wonder how Lupin's doing," said Harry, looking up at the moon.

"He's probably ecstatic, knowing that he's going to be teaching again," said Ginny.

"Yeah," sighed Harry. Ginny put a hand on his arm in comfort. It was obvious that Harry missed his only link to his parents.

"The stars are beautiful, aren't they?" commented Hermione, gazing up into the sky. "It's so awe-inspiring to think about the universe, and how small we truly are."

"It really shows us that the small, insignificant things count," commented Ron. Eyes shot at him. No one had ever heard something so philosophical come out of Ron's mouth before.

Ron heard chattering coming from besides him. "Hermione, are you cold?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm okay, it's just a little chilly out here," Hermione replied. Ron got up and went to his tent. He came out bearing one of the many sweaters his mom had knitted for him over the years that bore a big R on the front. He handed it to Hermione.

"Here you go," said Ron. Hermione took it, a look of thanks on her face, and she pulled it over her head. Ron and Hermione couldn't see it, but Harry and Ginny raised their eyebrows. The four sat there in peace for awhile, contemplating the universe. Finally their thoughts made them tired and they headed off to bed, thankful for their families and friends.

A/N: Thanks for your comments, and I'm sorry for getting this out later than my other ones, but I have having a case of writer's blocks. I don't know when I'll get the next chapter out, with the new book coming out and work, etc, but I'll get it out as soon as I have time and enough ideas!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ron awoke early the next morning. _Can't I sleep in anymore?_ He wondered to himself as he got out of his sleeping bag. It seemed as if he had been getting up early a lot that summer. When he got out of his tent he saw Ginny trying to stoke a breakfast fire.

"Hey, Gin," Ron said quietly. He didn't want to wake anyone else up, and it was that time of the morning where any normal sounds are just too loud.

"Hey, Ron," Ginny replied absently. She went back to poking the fire, which by this time was just about right for breakfast. Still, she kept poking at it.

"What's wrong?" asked Ron, concerned. Ginny normally didn't brood like this.

"What makes you think anything's wrong?" asked Ginny as she took an uncharacteristically hard poke into the coals of the fire pit.

"Because you're going to stoke that fire until it's cold!" Ron replied.

"It's nothing, Ron," said Ginny. "It's just silly. I'll work it out by myself, and everything will be fine."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked cautiously. Ginny was not normally this secretive, especially with Ron. Those two were the closest of the Weasley siblings, and they normally shared everything together.

"I'm sure. It's just confusing, and I just need to think about it. I'll work it all out," said Ginny with an unconvincing smile on her lips. The two sat in silence for a couple of minutes, then they heard a tent flap behind them. Harry came out, stretching, his hair messier than normal, in his boxers and t-shirt. Ginny's ears began to turn a little pink, but Ron didn't notice.

"Morning," said Harry in the middle of a yawn. He shook his head to wake himself. "What's for breakfast?"

"You sound like Ron," laughed Ginny. Ron gave her a cross look. "I think Hermione brought something like a self-heating griddle or something. We could make blueberry pancakes," Ginny suggested.

"Ooh, those sound great!" exclaimed Ron, who, after being reminded that morning was a time to eat by Harry, had suddenly become very hungry.

"We'd better wait until Hermione wakes up, though," cautioned Ginny. "She's the only one who really knows how to work that griddle. The others agreed a little grudgingly, for they were both very hungry. They sat around the fire, and every minute or so Harry and Ron would glance over at the girls' tent, hoping for some sign of Hermione waking.

"I can't wait anymore," said Ron about 20 minutes later. He got up and strode over to the girls' tent.

"Ron, don't wake Hermione up!" exclaimed Ginny.

"Oh, come on, she's always up before us. If I don't wake her up now, she'll be upset that we all let her sleep while we were awake, and waiting for her to eat. With that Ron entered the tent.

Hermione lay inside her sleeping bag. _She looks so peaceful_, thought Ron. He let himself stare for a minute and then he shook himself awake, reminding himself once again that this was Hermione, his best friend. Ron bent down and gently shook Hermione's shoulder. She stirred a little, but didn't show any signs of waking. Ron got braver, bent down, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Wake up, 'Mione," he said gently.

"Hermione stirred a little, and with her eyes still closed she said sleepily, "What did you call me?"

""Mione, it's time for you to wake up," replied Ron. Hermione opened one eye a crack, saw Ron, and gave a little smile.

"Good morning Ron," she said, her eyes both closed again.

"You know, you're the last one to wake up this morning," Ron said gently, liking the quiet in the tent. With that both of Hermione's eyes shot open, and the smile went away from her face.

"What!" said Hermione in disbelief.

"I thought you'd want to wake up," said Ron, smiling. Hermione was already out of her sleeping bag, pulling some socks on. Ron smiled even bigger. Hermione was in her own boxers and shirt from bed, and her hair was wilder than ever, and tangled here and there. He liked that look on her. It made her seem…..human? It was not the perfect Hermione everyone else saw, and he liked it.

Hermione came to her senses as she finished putting on her socks. "What are you still doing in here! I have to get changed…get out!" Hermione exclaimed as she shooed Ron out of the door.

Ron left the tent, smiling. "Breakfast's on its way!" he announced.

"I heard that!" the three heard Hermione call from the tent. She emerged and said, "So that's why you woke me up. Not because you knew I'd want to be woken up, but so I could shut your stomach up?" She sounded mad, but it was plain to anyone who saw her face that she was trying not to laugh. "You must be so incapable to not be able to make your own breakfast. I would think that with your stomach growling all the time, that you'd be an expert chef. You'd have to be to keep that thing quiet!" Ginny and Harry laughed as Ron scowled at the three of them.

"Here, I'll get my griddle and we can make breakfast," said Hermione.

After breakfast, the four sat around digesting their food. Ginny kept sneaking looks at Harry, but Ron didn't notice because he was doing the same to Hermione. He was in a sort of a trance when Harry broke in and said, "Let's go swimming today!" Ron's hands immediately went to his stomach and he thought about how stuff with pancakes he was. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was move, much less swim.

"You go on ahead, Harry," said Hermione, "at the moment, I'm just too full. I'll join you later."

"I'll go with you, Harry," said Ginny excitedly. For a moment Ron thought he saw the excitement he first saw in Ginny when she met Harry her first year.

"What about you, Ron?" asked Harry.

"I'll catch up with you later. I'm also a little full."

"I bet. You ate more than the three of us combined," said Harry, a grin on his face. He and Ginny went to their tents to get ready. Ron sat there, looking up at the sky, really thinking about nothing. It was too early to think. He heard a noise next to him, and saw that Hermione had gotten up from her seat to sit next to Ron. For a second he felt a little tingle, but only for a second, because he quickly put a stop to it. _She's your best friend. How many times has she sat next to you?_ Ron smiled at Hermione. As he did, Harry and Ginny emerged from their tents and ran down toward the lake.

"I'm going to get there first!" shouted Harry.

"No way! You may be faster in the air, but I'm definitely faster on land!" shouted Ginny back. Ginny caught up with Harry, but as she was about to fly past him, he picked her up by the waist and ran, carrying her, into the water. When he got deep enough, he threw her in against the shrieks and shouts coming from Ginny. A person couldn't tell what  
Ginny was saying, though, because she was giggling too hard.

"She sure looks different now than she did this morning," commented Ron.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, watching Harry and Ginny in the water.

"Something was bothering her this morning. When I woke up, she was absently over-poking the fire. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong. She just told me that she was confused about something, but that she'd figure it out herself. It's not like her to keep her feelings from anyone," said Ron, a concerned look on his face. "Has Ginny mentioned anything to you?"

"No, she hasn't," Hermione replied. The look on her face told Ron that she was thinking hard about what could be wrong. Hermione glanced at the lake and watched Ginny and Harry for a second, then with a knowing smile on her face she said to Ron, "but I'm sure that it will all be fine."

"I don't like this. We used to tell each other everything," said Ron.

"Everything? I'm sure that you haven't told Ginny everything that has happened in your life," commented Hermione wisely.

"You know what I mean. We always confide in each other. Well, almost," Ron added, thinking about those shivers he'd started to have around Hermione. "I'm worried that we're growing apart."

Hermione looked at Ron, shocked at the sensitive nature of the words coming from his mouth. He had never confided in her like this.

"I'm sure you're not growing apart Ron. You're growing up, and there are things that a girl just can't tell her older brother. Especially when he's as protective and caring as you are," replied Hermione, putting a hand on his shoulder. Ron's shoulder burned where Hermione's hand was, but he tried to ignore it.

"Like what?" asked Ron, knowing the answer already, but not wanting to think about it. It was like Hermione read his mind.

"You know very well what. I'm sure that Ginny will tell you when she's ready, but for now she just has to figure things out for herself."

"You sound pretty sure about this. Are you sure that you don't know what's going on?" asked Ron, raising an eyebrow.

Hermione laughed, "I'm sure, but I think I have a pretty good idea of what might be going on. C'mon, I think it's about time that we joined those two in the water," Hermione said, nodding toward Harry and Ginny. Hermione got up and headed to her tent to change.

"Good idea," said Ron, but he sat there for a minute more, thinking about how it felt when Hermione had her hand on his shoulder.

A/N: Thanks for your patience. Not only did I have writer's block and the new book out, but my mom showed up for a surprise visit, and that also postponed this chapter! Here's something for you Harry/Ginny fans! I know that this chapter is a little fluffy, and may be over the top, but I'm going to try to balance the upcoming chapters better! Thanks for the reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

Ron got out to the lake to see Harry and Ginny splashing around. "Where's Hermione?" he asked. He had taken extra time to change, and thought that she would be out there already.

"I don't know mate, wasn't she with _you_?" asked Harry, smirking. Ron's ears turned a little pink.

"Well, maybe she's just being a slow-poke. She'll come soon enough," said Ron, although he was thinking just the opposite. It wasn't possible for her to come soon enough.

After about 5 minutes, Ron got worried. _Where is she? Is she hurt? Did she fall and slip on something in her tent?_ Ron's brain was filled with images of Hermione lying on the floor of her tent, unconscious. "I'm, uh, I'm going to check on the fire and, ya know, make sure it's not too big," said Ron.

"But Ron, we can see it from here, it's just fine," said Ginny, but Ron was already out of the water and walking toward the girls' tent. Harry and Ginny gave each other knowing smiles.

Ron stood outside of the tent. _What am I doing? She's just getting ready!_ Ron tried to calm himself down. He noticed that he didn't hear any noise coming from inside the tent, though. _Shouldn't I be able to hear 'Mione moving around?_ Ron wondered to himself. "Hermione?" he asked nervously. "Are you in there?" There was no answer, Ron opened the tent door ever so slightly, "'Mione?" But there was no one in the tent. Ron looked back toward the lake, but Hermione still wasn't there.

"Harry, Ginny, Hermione's not in here!" Ron called, trying to think of what could have happened, while at the same time trying to _not_ think of what might have happened. Ron looked back into the water, and saw Harry and Ginny splashing around, oblivious to what Ron was shouting. Ron ran into the water panicking. "Harry, Ginny, she's gone!"

"What are you talking about, Ron?" asked Ginny.

"Hermione, she's gone! She's not in her tent!"

"Ron, I'm sure she's there, why don't you just go and look again," suggested Harry.

"Harry, I just looked and SHE WASN'T THERE!" shouted Ron.

"Ronald Weasley, what are you shouting about!" Ron spun around, and there was Hermione, her head poking out of the tent.

"'Mione!" shouted Ron as he ran to the tent. He stopped right in front of the tent, breathing hard. Ron couldn't resist, he pulled Hermione into an embrace and said, "Where were you!"

"I was right here, silly," said Hermione. "Now, will you let me breathe?" she asked in a strained voice. Ron pulled away, bright red from the tips of his ears to the nape of his neck. Ron couldn't believe what he had just done. _ Bloody hell, how could I have done that! Way to stay cool, Ron!_ He looked passed Hermione into the tent and saw something on Hermione's sleeping bag.

"What are you doing with Harry's invisibility cloak!" exclaimed Ron. Hermione just gave him a wicked smile.

"Did I worry you?" asked Hermione, trying to sound serious, but cracking up. Ron turned even redder, if that was possible. He turned around and looked at the lake to see Harry and Ginny laughing. Ron couldn't help it, he started laughing, too. After a little bit, Hermione stopped laughing and looked at Ron curiously. "_Did_ I worry you?" asked Hermione again, this time a little more seriously.

Ron's ears turned pink again, "Well…yeah, you did. I guess it's just reflex, ya know, with the war and stuff. Although now that it's over and I know that you're safe, 'Mione." Ron looked away from Hermione's face. _She must think I'm such a fool. Of course she's safe! We're all safe now. If I don't stop this "Big Brother" act soon, she's going to figure out what's really behind all this._

"What did you call me?" asked Hermione timidly, moving her face to catch is eyes.

"'Mione. I'm sorry, it just slipped out. I won't call you that anymore." Hermione took a step closer to Ron.

"No, I like it," Hermione replied, blushing a little bit. She had just the tiniest bit of a smile on her pink lips. _Wow, she's beautiful_, thought Ron. He had finally given up on trying to beat his thoughts down. They just kept coming, and it took too much energy to ignore them. Ron looked into her eyes, then he looked at her lips. He wanted to kiss them so badly, and he thought he could feel Hermione lean closer to him, but he heard a splash behind him and he snapped out of his trance. _ I can't do this! There are more people here than Hermione and me! I have to keep remembering that Harry and Ginny are here, and I have to keep these feelings in check. If I don't, I'll probably ruin our friendship!_

Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and he drew in a large breath, surprised at the sudden contact. "C'mon, let's go!" Hermione and Ron ran into the water, holding hands until they touched the chilly lake.

Later that night, the friends were sitting around the campfire.

"So, Ginny, do you have any more stories of Ron when he was little?" asked Harry, a mischievous grin on his face.

_Oh no, here we go again_, thought Ron grudgingly. Ginny was the sibling that knew him the best, and she had the most stories, and she loved to share them. Especially the embarrassing ones.

"More stories? I have books of stories!" exclaimed Ginny, an excited gleam in her eye.

"Ginny, please don't do it," begged Ron.

"No, I want to hear!" exclaimed Hermione. Ginny gave a wry smile in Hermione's direction, then she hummed like she was thinking hard.

"Oh, let's see, what's a good one…Oh! I've got one!" Ron groaned as Ginny started telling the story.

"Okay, so you both know about Ron's bear being turned into a spider. Well, that wasn't the end of it. Ron would get dreams that his other animals were turning into spiders and attacking him. We shared a room when we were little, and I could hear him tossing and turning at night. Once in awhile he'd scream at the top of his lungs and bounce out of bed, hitting his animals and slapping himself like there were spiders all over him."

Harry was roaring with laugher. Hermione tried to stifle hers politely for Ron, but she glanced over at him and doubled over in laughter. Ron just scowled.

"I was little! It's all Bill's fault. He shouldn't have terrorized me like that!" said Ron, trying to defend himself.

"I'm sorry, mate. I know it was probably traumatic. But you have to admit that it's pretty darn funny now!" said Harry.

"Yeah, I guess it is," replied Ron with one small laugh. "Maybe we should hear a story about Ginny now." Ron looked over at Ginny with an evil glint in her eye. Ginny's mouth dropped open and she had a small look of horror on her face.

"Ron, I don't think they want to hear…"

"Oh yes we do!" shouted Harry with a grin from ear to ear on his faced.

"Okay, so when we were still sharing a room, Ginny used to push her blankets back and set up all her stuffed animals in a semi-circle on her bed after the lights were turned out. Then she'd have a tea party with them," said Ron. "It was quite the crowded bed. How many animals did you have in there at a time? 20? 30?"

"What Ron's not telling you is that I would invite him over for tea, and he would almost always accept the invitation," retorted Ginny, a triumphant look on her face.

"Wow, Ron. Weren't you afraid that they would turn into spiders and drink your tea before you could?" asked Harry, smiling wickedly.

"Humph," was all that Ron said.

"Oh, lighten up Ron, we all have those stories," said Harry. "I remember when Dudley used to play 'Superheroes' and I was always the bad guy. His way of fighting the bad guys was to jump on them like a wrestler." Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all winced at the thought of Dudley Dursley landing on top of them. It was not a pleasant thought.

"But you didn't have a _choice_, Harry," replied Ron.

"Oh, I did stuff like that, too," said Hermione. The three gave her strange looks. "No, I don't mean jumping on top of people like a wrestler. I remember that I used to have my friends over, and we'd pretend to live in an RV with our babies," said Hermione.

"What's an RV?" asked Ron.

"It stands for Recreational Vehicle. It's like a mini-house that can drive. They're really small, but I like the idea of it because everything was right at your fingertips. It would be like having the kitchen and living room all in one."

"Oh, cool," said Ron, practically drooling at the thought of a kitchen in the living room.

"Don't get too excited Ron!" chuckled Hermione.

"Well, I think it's about time for me to get some sleep," said Harry, yawning and stretching.

"Goodnight, Harry," said Hermione.

"Yah, g'night mate," said Ron.

"Sweet Dreams, Harry," said Ginny, somewhat shyly. Ron looked over at Ginny, surprised that his sister, who was so excited before, was suddenly quiet. He was a glint of the sadness he saw this morning in her face. He looked in the direction that Ginny was looking to see the tent that Harry had just entered. Then it clicked.

"No way!" Ron whispered loudly. He looked from Ginny to the tent, then looked at Ginny and pointed to the tent. "You…" His head kept swiveling back and forth between Ginny and the tent.

Ginny looked at Ron with a somber look on her face. She gave a small nod, then silently got up and headed to her tent. When Ginny was safely inside with the door zippered up, Ron looked at Hermione. "You knew about this, didn't you!"

Hermione shrugged, "She didn't tell me anything, but I could tell."

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Ron, who had gotten up and was now pacing behind the bench he had been sitting on.

"Because I didn't know anything for certain. Besides, it's Ginny's business, not mine, to tell," said Hermione. She got up, walking over to Ron, and put her hands on his shoulders. Then she steered him toward the bench in front of him and sat him down. She sat down next to him.

"I thought she was over Harry," said Ron.

"Well, I guess not, although I sincerely doubt that this was like last time," responded Hermione.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron.

"Last time she liked Harry because he was famous. All the girls were fawning over him, don't you remember? He was, and is, a celebrity. When he arrived at Hogwarts and was re-introduced to the wizarding world, everyone was obsessed by him. Ginny just got caught up in the flow of things, and was amazed when you became friends with him."

"And this time?" asked Ron quietly. Hermione slid a little closer to Ron on the bench. Her leg was now flush with his, and he could feel a burning sensation where they touched.

"This time, she really knows him. She knows him almost as well as we do. This time, she likes him for who he is. I think that she's afraid of what she's feeling, and doesn't want to ruin the great friendship that they have formed in the past 2 years or so," said Hermione, looking into Ron's eyes. Their eyes locked together, and Ron couldn't look away.

To Ron, it was as if Hermione could read his mind. It was exactly what he had been thinking, but not about Ginny and Harry. Ton thought that he could see something different in those chocolate-colored orbs, but he couldn't tell what it was. He was getting hot, and his heart was racing. He looked away, breaking contact with Hermione's eyes and settling his heart. _What's happening to me?_ Ron thought. He felt a shiver on his leg, but it wasn't coming from him. Hermione was shivering, and she was sitting so close that her leg kept hitting his as she shivered.

"Are you cold?" asked Ron.

"A little," admitted Hermione quietly. Ron was shaking, he hoped that Hermione couldn't tell. He slowly and gently put his arm around her shoulder, holding her to him in an attempt to warm her up and in an attempt to keep her close to him. He could feel her relax under the weight of his arm.

"Is that better?" Ron asked so quietly that it was almost a whisper. _What am I doing? This isn't how we normally act!_ Hermione seemed to not mind, though, and Ron just kept acting on his instincts, however abnormal they were for the two of them. Hermione laid her head on Ron's shoulder, and his heart started to pound wildly. Ron wondered if she could hear it.

"What are you thinking about, Ron?" asked Hermione quietly.

Ron was panicking. How in the world was he supposed to think when Hermione was so close to him! Also, why would she ask a question like that!

"I don't know, just about how nice things are without the war, just being here with you guys." _And sitting here with you_, Ron thought to himself. To his surprise, Hermione nuzzle a little closer to his side. Ron's forehead started to sweat. He didn't know what to do. He was all warm and his mind was fuzzy because Hermione was sitting next to him. No, she was really _in his arms_. He wanted to wipe away the sweat before it got to his eyes, but he didn't want Hermione to know that he was sweating, and he didn't want to move in fear that she would leave his side. He snuck a look down at her face. Hermione's eyes were closed, and she was breathing slowly and deeply. She had fallen asleep. Ron didn't want to wake her, so he leaned against the back of the bench, closed his own eyes, and fell asleep, his arm still around Hermione.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ron opened one eye. He could swear that he had fallen asleep with his arm around Hermione, but it couldn't be true. It had to have been a dream. He opened his other eye and looked to his right. There was Hermione, as beautiful as ever, leaning against him. His arm had fallen fast asleep by now, but he was still afraid to move it. He heard a rustle coming from the tent he shared with Harry, and practicality made him move it quickly. He shook it out, but only about half the numbness went away. It was good enough for the moment. He nudged Hermione gently.

"'Mione, Mione, wake up," whispered Ron into her ear. He was a smile play upon Hermione's lips, but she didn't wake up. _She looks so peaceful and beautiful…I wish I could kiss her_, thought Ron. He looked around, then looked back upon Hermione's sleeping face. He couldn't resist anymore. He bent down and brushed his lips against her left cheek ever so slightly. As he lifted his head he saw Hermione's eyes flutter and she began to sit up. She looked up at Ron and smiled, sleep still showing in her eyes.

"Were we out here all night?" she asked quietly. Ron nodded.

"I didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful, so I just fell asleep here, too," replied Ron.

Hermione laid her head back onto Ron's shoulder. "Thanks for being so concerned," mumbled Hermione. She signed deeply, and the hairs on the back of Ron's neck stood on end. _What is she still doing here? Does she? Is it possible that she might feel the same way? Nah, _that_ would be a dream come true._

"I supposed we should get up before Ginny or Harry finds us like this," said Hermione.

"Yeah, it would be another story for Ginny to tell," chuckled Ron. Hermione got up off of the bench, and Ron suddenly felt cold without the heat of Hermione's body next to his. He watched Hermione put another long on the fire and stoke it in preparation for breakfast.

"I'll be right back, I'm just going to change," said Hermione quietly. She ducked into her tent. Ron decided that he should do the same, and entered his tent quietly, not wanting to wake Harry. It was too late. Harry was wide-eyed and sitting on his sleeping bag as Ron entered the tent. Ron did not like the look of the smile on his face.

"So, why didn't you come in last night?" asked Harry wryly. Ron could see that this was not going to be fun for him, but it was going to be loads of fun for Harry.

"Hermione fell asleep outside last night, and I didn't want to wake her, so I stayed out there with her," replied Ron, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Why couldn't you have just put a blanket over her or something? And why are you shaking your arm like that?" asked Harry. Ron didn't realize that he was still shaking out the arm that had fallen asleep.

"I still didn't want to leave her out there alone, and I guess my arm just fell asleep."

"Ron, I saw the two of you. If I were in the same position with the girl that I liked, I wouldn't have moved either," said Harry. Ron turned bright red.

"What are you talking about?" Ron said, again trying to sound casual, but the tremor in his voice gave him away.

"Oh, c'mon mate. I've known that you like her since fourth year. She doesn't seem too put off by you, either, why don't you do something about it?"

Ron stared at Harry with his mouth hanging open. _How could he have known? Was I that obvious?_ Ron thought back to his actions fourth year. _Yes, yes I was that obvious. I should be glad that Hermione hasn't said anything yet_. Not wanting to be the center of attention, Ron threw the question back at Harry.

"Well, why don't _you_ do anything about your feelings for Ginny?" he spat out. Harry turned pink, but as quickly as it came, it went. _Merlin, I wish my face would do that_, thought Ron.

"Maybe because I want to LIVE!" said Harry. A wry smile spread across his face. "But, since you seem so keen on me telling her, maybe I should."

"Hey, watch it. Just because I noticed doesn't mean you can go and snog my baby sister," warned Ron.

"Well you have proven yourself why I can't tell Ginny. Now, I'm still waiting for a good reason for you to not tell Hermione."

"And you all think that _I'm_ dense! I can't tell her, because what if she doesn't feel the same way! I'm not willing to risk our easy-going relationship with awkwardness like that!" exclaimed Ron, pacing around the tent.

"But from what it looked like last night, I don't think you'd have anything to worry about," replied Harry.

"What are you saying?" asked Ron, staring at Harry with narrow eyes.

"Well, she looked pretty comfortable in your arms last night. And I don't think that you have the guts to initiate something like that," replied Harry.

Ron scowled, but didn't say anything. Suddenly the boys heard a burst of giggles coming from the girls' tent. Ron and Harry left their tent and sat around the fire, eating some cereal. The girls came out, huge smiles on their faces. Hermione's eyes met Ron's and she blushed. She quickly turned around and busied herself getting her own breakfast. Ginny promptly sat down next to Harry, a little too close for Ron's comfort. Ron thought about what Harry had said to him before and decided to keep his scowls to himself.

"So, I was thinking that I'd go for a brisk fly this morning," said Ginny. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I know you don't fly well, I hope that you don't mind."

"Oh, not at all Ginny," said Hermione.

"Anyone want to join me?" offered Ginny.

"Sure, I'll come along. I could use a good fly," said Harry. The two got up and went for their brooms. Hermione finished getting her cereal and sat down next to Ron. She smiled shyly at him.

"Aren't you going to go?" she asked quietly.

"No, I'd rather stay here today," said Ron, not elaborating why he'd rather stay at the campsite rather than go flying.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe you'd be willing to give me a small flying lesson? You know, to make sure that I don't' forget anything that you've already taught me," said Hermione shyly, a small smile on her face. She was still averting her eyes from Ron's.

"Sure, that's a great idea!" said Ron. Right after he said it, he wondered if he had sounded too eager. Thankfully, Hermione didn't seem to notice. Ron went to get the brooms.

"Hey 'Mione, did you bring a broom with you?" asked Ron, only finding one left.

"No, I didn't think we'd have a flying lesson," Hermione called back. Ron felt slightly giddy. She would have to ride with him again.

"Well, I think then we should do what we did the first time we flew. I'll sit in the back, and you'll sit in the front and do all the legwork. I'll just be there in case you lose your head," he jibed, grinning at Hermione. _Unless I lose my head first from being so close to you_, Ron thought to himself as he smiled. He figured that if he looked confident and normal on the outside, that's how he would eventually feel on the inside.

"Sounds perfect," smiled Hermione, uncharacteristically ignoring the jibe Ron made. He thought it was odd. Normally she might have taken it the wrong way and scoff at Ron, or else she would have joined in and retorted back.

Ron mounted the broom and felt a tingle as Hermione got on the broom in front of him, and his heart skipped a beat as he put his arms around her waist so he could hang on. "On the count of…" Ron was cut off as Hermione led the broom into the air with ease. She zoomed higher and higher at a much faster pace than Ron had imagined she would, but Hermione didn't seem worried at all.

"Woohoo!" shouted Hermione as they flew through the air, the wind in their faces.

"Since when do you fly like this?" asked Ron, awestruck.

"I've been practicing at night," said Hermione, looking back and smiling at Ron. _Is she blushing, or are her cheeks just red from the wind?_ wondered Ron as they soared through the air.

"Look out!" shouted Ron as he looked beyond Hermione's face. Hermione expertly maneuvered the broom between two branches of a tree. Ron had to bend down in order to not get hit.

"Just imagine if you had tried flying earlier. You'd probably be on the house Quidditch team!" shouted Ron above the noise of the wind in their ears.

"I never had a reason to learn before," Hermione shouted back.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron, but his question died with the wind and he never got an answer.

"Hey Harry! Look who I found!" Ron turned his head to see Ginny flying to his left. Beyond Ginny flew Harry, who winked at Ron and gave him a big grin. For the amount of time they had been gone, Ginny and Harry weren't very far. Ron didn't want to think about what may have held them up.

The four turned around and flew back to the campsite and landed. Ron dismounted the broom reluctantly, wanting to stay on the broom holding Hermione. He wasn't about to let Hermione suspect anything, though, so he let go. Ron looked up and saw Hermione smiling at him, her face flushed and her hair windswept. _Is she ever not beautiful?_ Ron asked himself. He shook his head to clear it of those thoughts, then said out loud, "So, what's for lunch?"

A/N: Sorry, I know this is a shorter chapter, but I like it all the same. The writing's not coming as easily as before, so please bear with me!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

_Ron saw Hermione flying up ahead of him. He flew faster to catch up with her, but the faster and faster he went, the faster and faster Hermione flew, until she was out of sight. _Bloody hell!_ Ron thought to himself as he flew farther on, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hermione's bushy brown hair. After a little bit he decided that his efforts were futile and turned around, only to see Hermione flying behind him. He tried to fly toward her, but his broom would not let him. He tried with all his might but found that although Hermione looked as if she were flying, she got no closer. Ron's broom turned around without his command so that he was facing away from Hermione. Ron kept his head turned, though, so he could see her. Ron saw beads of sweat coming from Hermione's brow as she strained to get nearer to Ron. Ron looked down, and saw that they were flying in a circle high above the ground. How he had gotten there, Ron didn't know. He didn't care, either. All he knew was that it was up to him to get out of it. He knew what he had to say in order to get both him and Hermione out of the cyclone. He opened his mouth and shouted, _"Mione, I…"

Ron awoke with a start. He was breathing heavily and sweating. He looked underneath him to make sure that he wasn't on his broomstick, and was relieved to see that he was on his sleeping bag. Harry was sleeping soundly next to him. It looked as though it was early, but Ron knew that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. He changed his clothes and left the tent, breathing in the early morning air, trying to shake himself of that dream. He needed to clear his head. He thought about the dream, and what might have made him dream it. He would normally go for a ride on his broom, but at the moment he felt that a fly would just make him more nervous, so he set off for a walk instead.

Ron thought and thought about the dream he had just had, but he could not figure out what it meant. He felt that there was an important significance to it. It had felt so real, although he knew that it was not. It was in no way the same as Harry's dreams had been. Ron's only conclusion was that he was supposed to tell Hermione how he felt. He did not know why, but he had woken up when he was about to say it. He had felt such a strong urge to say it, and he had had such a sense that it needed to be said in the dream. _Could I do it?_ Ron asked himself. _Could I tell Hermione how I feel? What if she rejects me? What if everything is changed forever? What if I lose one of my best friends?_ Ron thought back to the Hermione in his dream. It had seemed to him that she was trying every bit as hard to get to Ron as he had tried to get to her. Could this mean that she…Nah. There was no way that she could feel about Ron the same way as he felt for her. Not having decided anything, Ron headed back to the campsite, to find Ginny cooking some eggs on the griddle Hermione had shown them how to use yesterday.

"Hey Ron!" she said brightly, flipping some of the eggs. Ron noted the huge change in her attitude from yesterday morning, when she had been so sulky.

"Feeling better today, are we?" he asked. Ron knew that only one thing could make her like this, but he still didn't want to think about it.

"Much better," said Ginny, smiling. She looked away from Ron, who was somewhat relieved that she was not going into details, although he was upset at the fact that she would not tell him what he did not want to hear. Ginny went back to flipping the eggs, and started humming just the tiniest bit. Ron shook his head and had a seat next to the fire pit. Hermione came out of her tent, looking disheveled. Ron gave her a pensive look, his mind going back to the dream he had last night. He looked away when Hermione gave him an odd look back.

"Good morning Hermione!" sang Ginny. Hermione gave Ginny a big smile back. _She knows what happened!_ Ron thought. _My own sister can tell _my_ best friend, but not me!_

"Good morning Ginny, Ron," Hermione said, nodding in Ron's direction. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes looked tired, Ron thought.

"Morning Mione," he replied. When he said that Ginny turned her head in Hermione's direction and gave _her_ a knowing smile. _What is up with those two?_ Ron wondered. He decided to ignore it for now, and went to collect his eggs from Ginny. As he was doing so, Harry came out of his and Ron's tent, yawning and stretching.

"Morning everyone," Harry said through a big yawn. He had just rolled out of bed, by the look of him. He was still in his boxers and t-shirt, and his hair was ultra-messy. _The nerve!_ Ron thought. _Something happened between him and Ginny to make her all happy, and he leaves his tent without bothering to get out of his pajamas! If he's going to chase after _my_ sister, he's going to have to start getting dressed before seeing her!_

"Uh…Harry? Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Ron.

"What?"

"Umm…_clothes!_" replied Ron. Hermione snickered.

"Nah, there's no need," said Harry. "We're out in the woods, who cares!" Ginny giggled relentlessly. Ron scowled at her, but dropped the subject.

Harry sat down on a nearby bench, his plate of breakfast in hand. Ginny sat down next to him, too close for Ron's comfort. Ron wanted Ginny as far away as possible from Harry, but he couldn't say anything. Harry had obviously had the guts to tell Ginny _something_, if not how he felt. Ron didn't have the guts to say anything to Hermione. What a Gryffindor he was. He couldn't even talk to his best friend. His thoughts were interrupted as Hermione sat down next to him. Quite closely, he noticed.

"It looks like it might rain," said Hermione, looking up at the sky.

"Yeah, maybe we should go into town for the day," suggest Ginny.

"Awe, that means I have to get dressed!" groaned Harry. Ginny smiled.

"Yes it does, and you should get into gear, if we want to be out of here before the rain starts," said Ginny. She sounded just a tiny bit like Mrs. Weasley. At that realization, Ron and Hermione grinned at each other.

As Harry went to his and Ron's tent to change, Ginny started packing some stuff up outside.

"Hey Ginny, let me take care of that," said Hermione. She flicked her want and said something quietly, and a white shield formed over their table, supplies, and fire pit. "Now they'll stay dry," announced Hermione. As she was doing that, Ginny ran into the tent to get what she needed. By the time she was out, Harry was dressed and ready to go, broomstick in hand.

"I'm just going to get something, and I'll be ready," said Hermione, ducking into her tent.

"Hey Ron, do you mind if Harry and I head off?" asked Ginny.

"No, go," he said waving his hand to shoo them off. He wasn't going to fight Harry and Ginny right now. The two flew away on their brooms, and Ron ducked inside of Hermione's tent to check on her.

"You almost ready?" he asked, surveying the tent. Raindrops began to hit on the outside of the tent.

"Yup, just give me one minute," said Hermione.

"Alright, I'll be outside," replied Ron. He turned to go through the tent door, and found that he could not open it.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"The zipper must be stuck, I can't get out!" said Ron, flustered.

"Really? I've never had any trouble with the zipper," said Hermione, walking over and trying the zipper. "Oomph!" she cried as she tried to force the zipper open. "Wow, this really is stuck!"

"Maybe it's…locked?" asked Ron for lack of a better word.

"I don't know, but I'll try," said Hermione. "Alohomora!" Hermione shouted, pointing her wand at the zipper pull. She tried tugging again, but nothing happened.

"You know, this tent is a Fred and George Weasley creation…" said Ron nervously.

"Oh, you're right. Maybe there's something on the tent to tell us how to get out, or to at least explain what's going on," suggested Hermione. She scanned the walls of the tent until she found what she was looking for. "Here we go!" she exclaimed as she found a tag on the opposite end of the tent.

"Self-sealing tent: A glorious creation by none other than Fred and George Weasley that seals itself when it rains, not allowing rain or, nor letting the occupants out in order to keep the tent nice and dry," read Hermione.

"Bloody Hell!" shouted Ron.

"Language, Ron," cautioned Hermione.

"They had this stupid trick planned all along, ever since they offered these tents to us," complained Ron.

"Now Ron, why would they do that? I think this is just a concern that they addressed badly," said Hermione. She looked at Ron's face. "Yeah, you're right. They probably did this on purpose."

"They did it because they want me to tell you-" Ron stopped himself right before he blatantly told Hermione everything.

"Tell me what?" asked Hermione, a curious expression on her face.

"Nothing. They want me to tell you nothing," said Ron, flustered. By now his face was beet red, and getting redder by the second, and he was averting his eyes from Hermione.

"Ron…" said Hermione, but when he didn't look at her, she dropped it. "So, what do you think we should do? It looks like we're stuck in here for awhile," said Hermione casually.

"Yeah…what do you have in here?" Ron said, looking around. He was relieved that Hermione dropped the unnerving topic so quickly.

"Not much…we could read _Hogwarts: A History_ if you'd like," suggested Hermione, a wicked smile on her face.

"You brought that book!" asked Ron. "We're on vacation. Besides, don't you have that thing memorized by now?"

"Well, I guess I do, but it's just so automatic to bring it with my everywhere I go. You know, kind of like that ratty old blanky that I heard you have with you," said Hermione, a wicked grin on her face.

"Hey! That blanket has sentimental value. It's the only thing one of my brothers didn't touch when I was little. It's _untainted_," Ron said defensively.

Hermione laughed so hard that she clutched her belly and was bent in two. Ron snuck up behind her and pushed her over. "Hey!" Hermione shouted. She looked up and saw Ron towering over her, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He held out his hand in an offer to help her up. She looked at him warily, but gave her his hand. He yanked her up, only to spin her around so her back was to his front, and started to tickle her sides. She giggled helplessly, tossing and turning to get away from Ron, but he was both taller and stronger than she was. Finally, exhausted by the giggling and trying to get away, Hermione let herself go limp. She fell through Ron's arms onto her sleeping bag and just lay there, resting. Ron laid down on Ginny's sleeping bag next to her. He looked over at Hermione, and saw her looking at him, a goofy smile on her face. _Wow, she's beautiful. I can't believe I almost told her! And in such an off-handed way!_ "What's that look for?" Ron asked, a goofy smile on his own face. Hermione looked at him for another moment, then closed her eyes, the smile still on her face.

Hermione looked so peaceful while sleeping. Sleeping. With sleeping comes dreaming. Ron thought back to his dream of the night before. If he had to tell her, this would be the perfect time to do it. They were alone, without distractions. But what if it went badly? Ron wouldn't be able to leave if she rejected him, or if for some reason she got really mad at him. _Where is your Gryffindor courage, Weasley?_ Ron said to himself. _You've got to do it sometime! If neither of you can leave, then maybe you can get everything worked out before having to face anyone else_, Ron reasoned with himself. He took a deep breath. This was it. It was all or nothing from now on.

Ron stood up, stretched a little bit, then rested his eyes upon the beautiful Hermione once more. She still had a faint smile on her face, and Ron did not give it a second thought to wonder if she were really sleeping or not. He bent down and gently brushed his lips against her cheek, awed at how soft it was.

Suddenly, he felt a jerk at his ankles, and he went tumbling to the ground. He looked up to see a smiling Hermione kneeling over him. His eyes met hers for one brief moment. Then they both heard a low, rumbling sound. Hermione's eyes went to Ron's stomach. _Bloody hell, there goes the moment,_ Ron thought as he sheepishly looked at his stomach.

"Are you hungry?" asked Hermione, a smile tugging on her lips.

"I guess I am," replied Ron, his ears turning red. "But we really can't do anything about it, now can we? We're stuck in here, with the food out there."

"Don't you know who you're talking to? What would you like for lunch?" asked Hermione, getting her wand ready to swish.

"Hmm…how about one of those pudgy-pie things?" asked Ron, licking his lips.

"Just one?" asked Hermione, laughing a little.

"Okay, you'd better conjure up about four or five," replied Ron.

"That's what I thought. We can't have you starving now, can we?" asked Hermione as she conjured up about seven pudgy-pies. She then flicked her want and a pitcher of pumpkin juice and two glasses appeared. They two ate in silence. There was not really another way to eat, since Ron was devouring his food at a record-setting rate. There was no time for talk between bites.

"That was great, Mione! I don't know what I'd do if you weren't in here with me," said Ron, wiping his mouth after finishing his pudgy-pies.

"You would probably wither away to nothingness," said Hermione, grinning ear to ear.

Ron's eyes caught hers, and they both blushed. Ron's eyes felt locked. He could feel heat flooding his veins. It was hot, but at the same time it felt wonderful. The feeling scared him, so he broke contact, although reluctant to do so.

"I supposed that since you cooked, I'll clean up," said Ron, swishing his own wand and making the mess disappear. He looked up, only to find that Hermione's eyes were still on him. He could feel her gaze penetrating his body. He felt as if she could see into his soul. He started to sweat. _Can she see everything that I'm feeling?_ wondered Ron. This time, when his eyes met hers, he couldn't do anything to take them away. He started to feel weak, and he was glad that he was sitting, because he felt as if his legs had turned to jelly. If he had been standing, he surely would have fallen to the floor.

Ron concentrated on Hermione's eyes. They were a deep, chocolate brown. They had a beautiful sparkle to them, and when he looked into her eyes, he felt that he saw everything Hermione. He could see her mind at work, calculating and thinking. He could see the spark and the stubbornness that he admired so much. He could also see into her heart, and at that moment, nothing in the world could go wrong. Ron suddenly felt bold. His legs returned to a solid state. He moved closer to Hermione, so that he was sitting side-by-side with her, but he never broke eye contact. He took her left hand into his right hand and interlocked their fingers. With his left hand, Ron reached up to brush a stray curl away from Hermione's face. Ron's ears were buzzing now. He wasn't aware of anything happening outside of the tent. He couldn't hear the raindrops falling, or the birds singing, all he could sense was him and his contact with Hermione.

Hermione. Ron couldn't believe it. He was sitting alone in a tent with the girl he had admired, and grown to love, over the past seven years. He was holding her hand, and she wasn't protesting. He was staring into her eyes, and she didn't look away. Could she possibly feel the same way? Ron almost didn't care anymore. He tucked the stray curl behind Hermione's ear and placed his hand gently on her cheek. As he held her face, he began to lean his face in closer. His heart was beating out of his chest. He was sure that Hermione could hear it. He leaned closer and closer until he was centimeters from her face. He stopped for a moment, closed his eyes, and gently glided his lips onto Hermione's. He could feel heat rushing through him. Her lips on his felt perfect, as if they were meant to be together. His insides trembled, but he felt the happiest he had ever felt in his life. At that moment, nothing could go wrong. This is what he was supposed to be doing. He was doing what he should have done years ago. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss. The kiss had felt like it lasted forever, when in reality it had only been a few moment. It had been a few moments that would change the course of his life, and Ron knew it.

Ron opened his eyes and looked at Hermione, suddenly becoming nervous. Would she be happy? Angry? Or even worse, would she be upset and cry? _If she cries I don't know what I'll do!_ thought Ron. Hermione looked at him for a second, an unreadable expression on her face. Then she wrapped her arms around Ron's neck and kissed him back. This time the kiss was more passionate. Ron put her arms around her waist. He never wanted to let go. The same heat was searing through his veins, warming him and making him feel that all was right in the world. They broke the kiss and Ron stood up. Hermione followed and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. Ron could feel a contented sigh come from her. He could feel every breath she took. It felt wonderful. Hermione looked up into his face. Ron could see tears swimming in her eyes. _Oh, no. I've made her cry. Merlin's beard, how did I make her cry!_

"Hermione, what's wrong? Did I do something? Should I have not-" Ron was cut off as Hermione placed a finger on his lips to silence him.

"Nothing's wrong," she whispered. "I'm just so happy." With that she put her arms around Ron's heck and laid her head on his shoulder. Ron put one arm around her waist, and gently took Hermione's face in the other. He turned her face upward toward him. He bent down and gently pulled her into another kiss. As they kissed he lifted her off the ground and swung her in a circle. As he set her down, Hermione broke the kiss. Her smile was too much for him, Ron couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I love you, Mione. I have since I first saw you on the Hogwarts Express. I didn't know that then, but I know now that I've always loved you, and that I always will."

Hermione kissed Ron again, this time with more intensity than Ron knew possible. She pulled away.

"I love you, too Ron Weasley." They sat down against a pile of luggage in the corner, Ron's left arm around Hermione's shoulders, his right arm holding her waist. Hermione leaned into the crook of Ron's arm, and there they sat, basking in the warmth of their newfound relationship.

A/N: I hope that you really enjoyed this chapter! I had a great time writing it, although it took me a bit longer. I hope it was worth the wait! And of course, thanks again for all your reviews and support!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Ron looked down at Hermione. She was looking nowhere in particular, a small smile on her face. She felt his gaze and looked up at him, grinning even broader. She lifted her head up to kiss him on the cheek, then settled back down against his chest.

"So, what are we going to do about this?" asked Ron. He couldn't stop smiling. Right now, there was nothing that could upset him.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, keeping her head in his chest. He could feel her speak in his chest. Now, though, his heart wasn't pounding. It was utterly calm. The whole of him was calm. He had done what he should have done years ago, and it was working out.

"We can't stay in here forever, unfortunately. We have to leave this tent at some point and face other people."

Hermione laughed. "Ron, you make it sound like we're doing something forbidden!" Hermione sat up, to Ron's dismay. He let her adjust, and then put his arm back around her shoulders.

"Mione, can I ask you something?" Ron asked.

"Of course," replied Hermione, a slightly confused look on her face.

"Mione, would you, would you be my girlfriend?" asked Ron. He had whispered it so quietly that Hermione had had to lean in to hear him. Ron was bright red. He didn't think that Hermione would say no after the kisses, but he had all these doubts swimming in his head. _What if she doesn't want things to change? What if I'm good enough to kiss, but not good enough to be with openly? What if she's worried about Harry being the "third wheel"? What if she doesn't think it's practical? What if-_ His thoughts were cut off by Hermione's lips on his own, pulling him into a gently, yet passionate kiss. It wasn't fierce, but nor was it light. It was just right, and with it he knew what Hermione's answer was. He returned her kiss, but they broke apart at the sound of a twig breaking outside of the tent. They could hear the muffled voices of Harry and Ginny outside.

"Ron, when did it stop raining!" asked Hermione. Ron didn't know. He had been too caught up with Hermione to notice the absence of raindrops hitting the tent.

"What are we going to say!" whispered Hermione urgently. "We can't both just waltz out of here like nothing happened. They're going to think that we've been doing…stuff!"

Ron gave her a lopsided grin. "Well, we kind've have, haven't we," he stated.

Hermione gave him a playful look back. "You know what I mean. The stuff that we _didn't_ do."

"I'll think of something to say when we leave the tent. I'm pretty good with things like that on the fly," said Ron confidently. Hermione just rolled her eyes. Ron was the worst liar on the face of the earth. Hermione knew that she would have to carry this one.

"Where have you two been?" asked Ginny, her hands on her hips in a way that resembled Mrs. Weasley, although it didn't due to Ginny's wide grin.

"Well, a, a-" Ron stammered.

"I was still in my tent, getting things together, when Ron came in to check on me. It started to rain, and it appears that these tents that Fred and George gave us seal up when it rains. Nothing can get in or out of them," explained Hermione. There was nothing terrible in telling the truth.

"Mhmm," replied Ginny, her hands still on her hips. "Did you know that it stopped raining over an hour ago?" This time it was Hermione's turn to stammer.

"Well, we got caught up in a game of, of wizard's chess!" announced Ron, proud that he could contribute something.

Ginny gave the two a look that plainly said that she didn't believe them, but dropped the subject, anyway. Harry was sitting by the fire, giving the two of them a mischievious smile. The two knew that he did not believe them, either. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione all sat with Harry by the fire.

"So what did you two do today in town?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, we did a little of this, a little of that," said Ginny nonchalantly. Ron looked over at Hermione and gave a small smile, and Hermione raised her eyebrow at him. _It sounds like we're not the only ones who had an interesting day,_ Ron thought.

"Hey, Hermione, why don't you come and see what I got today?" asked Ginny.

"Sure, sound great!" replied Hermione. They ran off into the girls' tent.

"Hey Ron, you want to go for a walk around the lake?" asked Harry.

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea," replied Ron. He needed to clear his head. He loved having Hermione in it, especially since now he knew that she felt the same way, but he wasn't thinking clearly, and that bothered him. _Wow_, he thought,_ Mione must really be rubbing off on me…I want to think clearly?_ He and Harry headed off toward the trail that went around the lake.

They walked a little bit in silence, admiring the blue sky with puffy white clouds and the glittering lake. The air smelled sweet, and Ron took a deep breath.

"So, you finally asked Hermione out," said Harry. Ron's eyes grew wide and he looked at Harry, his mouth wide open.

"You know mate, you've really got to learn to keep that mouth closed. It's not becoming. It's too big," said Harry, laughing.

"How did you know!" asked Ron. Harry laughed again.

"It's so obvious! You two could never hide your feelings for each other. What makes you think that you can hide this?" Harry replied.

"Hermione's feelings were obvious to me!"

"Your feelings weren't obvious to you, Ron," said Harry. "How can you tell what Hermione's feeling, when you can't figure out what you're feeling yourself? But whatever, that's in the past and you two are happy," said Harry. "But do you want to know what really made me able to tell?"

"How?" asked Ron. He wanted to know how he was so incredibly readable to those around him.

"You two came out of that tent the happiest I had seen either of you in years. You were stuffed into a tent all day, and you came out all happy. That never happens. A year ago you would have been hoarse from bickering," said Harry, a glimmer in his eye. "And you have no idea how happy I am to see you two this happy."

_Why on earth is Harry getting so emotional? Maybe he's been having flashbacks to the war, although I thought that Ginny was helping with that. Ginny! Why didn't I think of that?_

"Isn't there someone else you'd also like to see happy?" asked Ron.

"Who do you mean?" asked Harry, trying to look innocent.

"You know who I mean. And I think that if you do what you feel, you'll both be very happy," said Ron.

"Well, I can't do what I feel, because I won't live to be happy," said Harry, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I promise that you won't die. As a matter of fact, I think that you might die if you _don't_ do what your heart tells you to do," said Ron, smiling broadly. "No one hurts my sister like that."

Harry smiled mischievously. "You want me to go ahead and do what I feel? No matter what it is that I feel?"

Ron looked at him alarmed. "If you place one finger anywhere in appropriate on my sister, I'll, I'll…"

Harry laughed. "There's the Ron I know! I was getting worried there for a minute."

The boys walked in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes more. They had never been so emotional with each other, and it felt strange. Harry lightened the mood by bringing up the Chudley Cannons and how their new players might actually give them a chance at winning a couple of games the upcoming season. It worked, and the boys debated Quidditch the rest of the way back to camp.

By the time they got back, it was dusk. The girls had the fire blazing and some dinner cooking. Ron felt refreshed from his walk. He had had an awkward moment with Harry, but it felt good after to get that all out in the open, and he had been able to clear his mind long enough to get everything straight. The tent had not been a dream, and Hermione was really his girlfriend. He went over to where Hermione was sitting and sat down next to her, entwining her fingers with his. He heard a squeal of delight come from Ginny.

"I take it you told her?" whispered Ron out of the corner of his mouth.

"I had to, otherwise she was going to bombard me with questions for hours," Hermione whispered back. Ron figured that Hermione didn't need to be asked, but that the second they entered the tent, Ginny knew it all.

"What about Harry? If you're holding my hand, I'm guessing that you told him," Hermione whispered at Ron.

"Didn't have to. He guessed right away."

"What are you two whispering about?" Ron and Hermione jumped. Harry had snuck around their backs and stuck his head between theirs.

"Ha! You two jumped so high!" exclaimed Ginny as she laughed.

"Laugh it up, laugh it up. Wait until you two get the wrath of Fred and George," said Ron.

"What do you mean us? You two are the ones that are dating!" exclaimed Ginny.

"Exactly. And you two are the ones who aren't. They can have a lot more fun with you!" Ginny blushed as her brother said this.

"Anyway, I think that we should probably get back to the Burrow in a day or two," said Harry, successfully changing the subject. The others agreed. They loved being out in the woods together, but they wanted a change of pace. They decided to stay through the next afternoon and then head back to the Burrow.

Harry yawned and stretched. "I think I'm going to hit the hay," he said. Ron nodded and followed him, but about five minutes later he was out of the tent, dragging his sleeping bag behind him. The girls looked at him with oddly.

"I'm not going to get stuck in a tent again. Even if it does rain, I'd rather be out here getting wet than stuck in a tent with _Harry_." The girls laughed at that. Ginny said that she would join him, and Harry and Hermione also decided to sleep outside.

Ron lay on his back, his hands behind his head. He stared up at the stars. All was right with the world. Harry was on his left, Hermione on his right, and his sister next to Hermione. He was laying outside, under the stars, on their last night camping. It was perfect. Ron sighed happily and continued to gaze at the stars.

A/N: Again, thanks for the comments. Somewhat of an abrubt ending, but it'll make the next chapter all the better! I'm going home for the weekend and will be really busy. I'm going to try to get the next chapter out before then, but I don't know when I'm going to get Chapter 12 out.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" asked a quiet voice next to Ron. He turned to see Hermione staring up at the stars.

"Yeah," he breathed not quite sure what to say.

"They make me feel safe" said Hermione dreamily.

"Safe?"

"Yeah, it's like having billions of fairies watching over me every night as I sleep. When I was little, I used to dream that the stars would fall from the sky at night and dance around my head, protecting me from harm," explained Hermione. She gave a little laugh. "I know, I must sound so silly."

"No, not at all. That's beautiful," said Ron, he was awed by Hermione's picture. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure," replied Hermione. They got up and headed toward the trail Ron and Harry had walked on earlier that day.

"Have you thought about what you want to do now that we're out of Hogwarts?" asked Ron. "I mean, Harry and I have wanted to be Aurors since Moody told us we could 5th year, but you never really mentioned what you wanted to do."

"Well, I never really knew. There are so many possibilities that I didn't want to exclude any."

"You're the brightest witch in our year, you can do anything you want!" exclaimed Ron. He was slightly pleased to see her face twinge pink.

"I didn't want to spend extra years training for something that I would end up hating," explained Hermione. She didn't leave time for Ron to protest that she wouldn't need extra training and that if she did, she would zoom through it at twice the speed of everyone else.

"You make it sound like you know what you want to do," commented Ron.

"I do. I want to teach," said Hermione.

"That's wonderful! You'd be a great teacher! What do you want to teach?" asked Ron.

"Well, I would love to teach Transfiguration, but that position is filled right now," said Hermione.

"Well, I'm sure that you'll find a position. Besides, maybe McGonagall will retire once she sees that she's no competition for you," Ron gave her a lopsided grin. Hermione just gave him a small smile, but didn't respond.

"Do you still want to be an Auror? Now that the war is over and everything?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah. There are still dark wizards. And perhaps now I'll get a vacation or two, and maybe have somewhat of a normal life. I don't think I could ever get out of the fighting dark arts thing, but it'd be cool to have time to have a family and stuff," said Ron. He blushed fiercely. He hoped that Hermione hadn't thought that he was implying anything about them by saying that. It had just always been his dream to have a family.

"So you want to have a family?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, I want big one. I love my family, and I don't think that I could deal with a quiet household."

"I know what you mean. I have such a small family, and I love them and all, but yours is so much more fun. There's always something going on, and everyone seems so closely connected. And it brings people closer together, like you and Ginny," said Hermione.

"Yeah, I never thought about it like that, but I guess that you're right," responded Ron. "Wow, look at that."

"Wow, I've never seen a sunrise before," said Hermione in awe. There was just a tiny bit of light coming over the horizon. Ron put his arm around Hermione, and she leaned her head onto his shoulder. They sat like that in silence, watching the sun rise higher and higher over the lake. The lake glittered in the sunlight. Ron looked at Hermione's contented face and thought, once again, about how perfect everything had seemed the past couple of days. It was too good to be true. He lightly kissed Hermione's forehead. Ron felt her sigh, and he sighed in return.

"I suppose we should get going," said Hermione regretfully into Ron's chest.

Ron sighed again. "I guess so, Harry and Ginny will be livid if they have to clean up camp all by themselves."

Hermione smiled, "Yeah, especially after they find out that I can do it with one flick of the wand." Ron grinned wryly.

"I would love to see their reactions. Hey, I've got an idea!" Ron told her his idea as they followed the trail back to their campsite.

When the couple got back to the campsite, Harry and Ginny were sweating. Everything except the last tent was packed up and ready to go.

"Hey Mione, how about some lunch?" asked Ron casually.

"Why Ron, that sounds lovely," replied Hermione. They then proceeded to unpack everything that was necessary to make some lunch, plus some extra things that they just happened upon along the way. By the time they were cooking, the campsite was a mess.

Harry looked dumbstruck and Ginny looked furious – Mrs. Weasley furious. She put her hands on her hips and gave Ron a stare that would normally make him cringe. He barely flinched this time, though.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked Ginny.

"What's wrong with me? WHAT'S WRONG WITH _ME_!" Ginny shouted. "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME! WE JUST SPENT ALL MORNING PACKING THIS STUFF UP, AND YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO –"

"Calm down, Ginny," said Hermione gently.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? I would expect this kind of behavior from Ron, but from _you_?"

"Excuse me?" asked Ron, but the girls ignored him.

"Maybe you're going out with my brother, but I didn't think he rubbed off on you _this_ badly," retorted Ginny.

"Well for your information…" Hermione swished her wand and re-packed everything. She put a wide grin on her face and said, "You did way too much work this morning."

Ron and Hermione started laughing, but Ginny stood there for a second, and then the fury left her face. She started laughing, and pretty soon Harry was laughing.

"Ready to go?" asked Hermione.

"I am if you've repacked everything," said Harry. The four grabbed their bags and the tents and headed back toward the Burrow.

The four walked up to the Weasleys' backyard, the couples holding hands. Mrs. Weasley saw them from the kitchen and ran to the backyard. When she got outside of the door she stopped and clasped her hands together in delight.

"Oh my goodness! I knew this would happen someday! Oh, Harry dear, let me carry that." Mrs. Weasley took the tent that Harry had been carrying and laid it by the shed. Ron got all ready to hand his mother the tent that he was carrying, but she brushed past him.

"Oh, Hermione! I always knew that you and my little Ronnie would be together someday!" Hermione blushed fiercely, but it was nothing compared to Ron's crimson hue. Mrs. Weasley was practically shrieking in excitement. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Come in, come in, dinner is almost ready. I'll quickly whip up a little extra so we can feed everyone!" Mrs. Weasley practically danced back into the house.

Ron took the tent over and set it next to the one Harry had been carrying. "Well, I guess that we don't have to tell Mum, now do we?"

"Nope, we just have to worry about the rest of the family," groaned Ginny.

"Ooooh, Ickle Ronniekins and his ickle friends are back!" the four heard someone shout behind him. Ginny groaned again, this time accompanied by Ron. Fred and George walked up behind them, smiles on their faces that Ron had never trusted.

"Well George, it looks as if our little tents worked," said Fred.

"Yes indeed, Fred. It looks like they worked better than we had anticipated," replied George.

"Wait a minute. You two _planned_ this?" asked Hermione.

"Why, of course. You don't think that we thought that trapping people in tents when it rained was a good idea for just anyone, do you?" asked Fred, pretending to be insulted.

"Of course we wouldn't do that! We had your interests purely at heart," added George.

"Now, Ginny and Harry here is a surprise to us," said Fred. "I guess the tents worked extremely well.

"We weren't trapped in a tent," retorted Ginny. She shut her mouth after that, knowing that there was really nothing she could say that would do anything concerning Fred and George.

"Dinner!" called Mrs. Weasley from the kitchen. The four, plus Fred and George, went into the house to enjoy Mrs. Weasley's home-cooked meal.

A/N: I'm so sorry for not getting this out to you on time! I was going to work on it when I was at home, but I had started the chapter and forgot to bring it with me. I know it's shorter, but I have some ideas for the next one, which I'm going to try to get out tomorrow!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Fred, George, and Charlie, who was on vacation from working with dragons, were sitting around the Weasley kitchen table. Ron sat across from Hermione, and Harry, who was next to Ron, sat across from Ginny. Fred sat next to Ron, and George sat next to Harry. The twins kept nudging Harry and Ron, making Ron blush fiercely and making Harry turn pink. Hermione and Ginny were also pink, but instead of embarrassment, they were trying to stifle giggles.

"What's going on here?" asked Charlie suspiciously.

"Nothing – Ow, Fred! – is going on," said Ron, as Fred dug his elbow into Ron's side.

"Yeah, sure," said Charlie.

"Charlie, dear, it seems that Ron has finally asked Hermione to be his girlfriend, and it also seems that Harry has asked our Ginny to be his girlfriend," said Mrs. Weasley, beaming.

"Well, finally!" exclaimed Charlie. "I thought that you two would never get up the nerve to ask them out." Ron and Harry looked down toward their food so hard that they were actually looking at their laps. Just then, everyone heard a "pop" in the hallway. Mr. Weasley walked into the room.

"Arthur, just in time!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm sorry, Molly, but I had to stay at work a little longer. Someone brought in this wonderful specimen. It was one of those felly tone things, but this one works from everywhere. I think it was called a bell phone."

Hermione stifled a giggle. "Mr. Weasley, it's a _cell_ phone," she corrected.

Mr. Weasley smiled brightly. "That's just brilliant!" He sat down to his dinner. "So, what has been going on today? Obviously you four have decided to come back."

Ron blushed deeply and glanced at Hermione uncomfortably, Harry returned his eyes to his plate, as did Ginny, but she also had the Weasley blush creeping up her face.

"Ah, so it finally happened?" asked Mr. Weasley casually.

"Isn't it wonderful dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley excitedly.

"Did everyone know about this besides us?" asked Ron, irritated.

"Yes," replied Harry. Ron looked at him sharply.

"YOU?" he exclaimed.

"Ya know, Ron, it was quite obvious. And we all knew that you would be oblivious to your feelings, but we were all surprised at Hermione's lack of noticing _her_ feelings," said Charlie. Hermione blushed as Charlie said this. "Of course, perhaps she had her own reasons for not noticing." Hermione gave Charlie a grateful smile, and then it was her turn to look down at her plate. Ron wished that she would give him that smile, although he knew that he probably had had that smile in the past, and probably would sometime in the future. He _hoped_ he would get one in the future.

Mr. Weasley looked at the four teenagers and saw their discomfort. "So Hermione, do you know more about these Bell Phone thingies…" Dinner went on peacefully, and with little more unease.

That night the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione sat around the campfire once again. It was a gorgeous night. It wasn't too humid, and there was a light, cool breeze taking the edge off of the summer heat. They were talking Quidditch, so Ron didn't notice the lack of participation in the conversation on Hermione's part. After finally exhausting the topic of Quidditch, Ginny brought up the open position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts.

"I think Lupin should come back. He was the best DADA teacher we had," commented Ginny.

"That's true, but Professor McGonagall won't hire him. Although she was good friends with Dumbledore and Lupin, all the parents know that he's a werewolf, and would be livid if he were re-hired," reasoned Ron.

"Besides, I think he really likes where he is," added Harry, smiling.

"Where's that?" asked Ginny. Ron also looked at Harry. He had no clue that Lupin had another job.

"He's head of relations between the creatures of the forest and McGonagall," explained Harry. "This will hopefully at least keep students out of danger if they do happen to go into the forest. But don't tell anyone that that's why he's in there. McGonagall still doesn't want students in the forest."

Ron now noticed Hermione's lack of participation. This was a topic she normally would be in the middle of. Ron put his arm around her shoulders, thinking that she was just tired from a day of excitement, mainly the excitement of Mrs. Weasley. After a couple of minutes he felt her shiver.

"Are you cold?" he asked quietly, looking at Hermione. What he saw alarmed him. Even in the dark with only the light of the fire, he could see that Hermione's face was extremely pale.

"No, I'm just fine," said Hermione quietly. Or had she said it weakly? Ron knew that something was wrong.

"Are you sure? Do you want to go inside? It's okay if you do. I'll even come with you."

"_I'm fine, Ronald_," said Hermione through her teeth. She stared into the fire, her eyes drooping. Ron saw worried looks on Harry's and Ginny's faces, and confused looks on his family's. He could see that they were thinking the same thing that he was. Hermione wasn't well, but she wasn't going to admit it. He had to do something to get her inside.

"Well, I'm a little cold. Would you mind coming with me as I grab a sweater?" It worked, and Hermione nodded. They got up to walk toward the house. Ron's parents just smiled at him, but Fred and George started cat-calling and whistling. One stern look from their mother stopped that quickly, though, and by the time Ron and Hermione had reached the house, all Ron could hear were the words of conversation coming from around the campfire. Once they got inside, Ron steered Hermione toward Bill's old room, rather than his own.

"Ron, what are we doing in here? No offense, but I'm really not in the mood to –"

"I know, and that's exactly why we're in here." Ron motioned for Hermione to sit in the bed. "Accio Hermione's pyjamas!" he exclaimed. Soon a pair of pastel plaid boxers and a t-shirt flew into the room. "Here, I'll leave the room for a minute as you put these on." With that Ron left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Okay, I'm decent," called Hermione from inside a couple of minutes later. Ron re-entered the room, finding Hermione sitting on the bed, looking exhausted. Ron pulled the covers back from the bed, and helped Hermione climb in.

Once Hermione was under the sheets, Ron tucked her in gently, and kissed her forehead. It was burning hot.

"Hermione, how long have you felt ill? You're burning up!" said Ron in a worried tone.

"Oh, Ron, it's nothing. I'm sure that it's just a 24 hour bug or something like that," responded Hermione.

"Well, you should have told me anyway. I'm going to go downstairs and fix you some soup." Ron turned and conjured a roaring fire in the fireplace to keep Hermione warm and hopefully break the fever. As he turned toward the door to leave and make the soup he promised, he saw that Hermione was already in a deep sleep. Deciding that the soup would just go to waste, Ron pulled a chair up to the bed and held onto Hermione's hand.

A couple hours later Ron opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep by Hermione's side. Her hand was still entwined with his, but she had moved while sleeping. He let go of her hand and put the covers back over her shoulder. When he did Hermione snuggled deeper under the covers and into her pillow. A small smile graced her face. _How can one be so sick, yet look so beautiful?_ Ron asked himself. He slowly bent down and kissed Hermione's cheek softly. Then, to check her temperature again, he kissed her forehead. It was still hot, although not at hot as before. He heard a scuffling outside of the door and turned.

Mrs. Weasley walked in, a concerned look on her face. "I was in here earlier, dear, but I saw that you were both sleeping, and didn't want to disturb either of you."

"Did you look at Hermione? Is she going to be alright? I just checked her forehead again. She's not as hot as before, but she's still hot," said Ron quickly. He paused to catch his breath.

"She'll be just fine, Ron. You've taken good care of her. I don't think it's a 24 hour bug, but I do think that it's just the flu," Mrs. Weasley said. Some of the worry on Ron's face faded away. "I did bring something for you, though." As she said this, Mrs. Weasley flicked her wand and Ron's bed and nightclothes flew into the room. He smiled gratefully at his mother. At the same time, he couldn't get the idea out of his head that Mrs. Weasley was condoning him sleeping in the same room as his girlfriend.

_Oh, stop it Ron. She's sick, and you're taking care of her. Your mother would never let you do this otherwise!_ Despite this, Ron smiled to himself. He glanced over at Hermione, who was fast asleep, lying on her side facing the wall. He quickly changed into his pyjamas and curled up in his bed. He looked over at Hermione one more time to see that she was sleeping peacefully, then fell back into a deep sleep.

A/N: I'm so sorry this is later than I said! Things have been popping up and such. You know how it gets. Also, I know my chapters have been shorter. I've been devoid of magnificent ideas lately, and haven't had much time to develop the ideas I do have. I'll try to do better in the future. I need some more "boring time" which I surely will get soon!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ron woke up and felt Hermione's eyes upon him. He turned and looked toward her and gave her a faint smile.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Ron asked quietly.

"Much better, thanks to you," Hermione replied, blushing slightly.

Ron wondered what Hermione was blushing at, and then looked at himself. He had forgotten that he was in his pyjamas.

"Why didn't you just admit that you didn't feel well last night?" asked Ron.

"I don't know, I guess I just didn't want to have everyone's attention, and to have everyone doting over me," said Hermione.

"Well, you didn't admit that you were sick, but you have it anyway."

"I know, and thank you," Hermione replied sheepishly.

"Now, to check your temperature," said Ron, getting up. He got out of his bed and walked over to hers and kissed her on the forehead. She still felt a little warm, although it was much better than last night.

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione.

"You mean you don't know about this?" asked Ron. He was amazed that Hermione wouldn't know the home thermometer trick.

"No, I mean, I noticed last night, but I was just too tired to say anything. My mom always used a thermometer. After a minute it would beep, and a digital readout would tell you your temperature.

"Well, I like this way better," Ron said, smiling. "Now, you lie down and get some rest, and I'll bring you up some breakfast. How's your stomach feeling?"

"It's just fine, although I am a little hungry," replied Hermione.

Ron went down to his room to change into some real clothes, then he went to the kitchen. As he was putting a tray together with toast and a little bit of orange juice, Ginny walked into the kitchen.

"How's Hermione feeling this morning?" asked Ginny.

"Much better, although she still has a little fever, and she still looks tired," replied Ron.

"I think it's wonderful how well you're taking care of her. It's probably just what she wants. I know that if I was sick, I wouldn't want anything more than for Harry to take care of me like this," said Ginny.

"Don't let Mum hear you say that!" smiled Ron. He picked up the tray and headed up the stairs to Hermione.

Ron opened the door quietly, in case Hermione had fallen asleep again. "Mione?"

"I'm awake, just come on in," said Hermione. Ron heard a growl coming from inside the room. Hermione blushed.

"AHA! So I'm not the only one that makes those noises!" proclaimed Ron.

"Oh, shut your mouth," said Hermione. Ron handed her the tray and sat on his bed, watching her.

_I hope I'm not doing too much. What if Ginny's wrong, and Hermione doesn't like being taken care of like this? Does she think I'm being too pushy?_ Ron's face hardened a little at these thoughts, as if he were in concentration. Hermione gave him an odd look.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, her brow furrowed at Ron's facial expression.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Ron replied, snapping out of his train of thought.

"Good, then will you please stop staring at me like that? I love you an all, but it creeps me out when people watch me eat."

Ron laughed. "I'm sorry." He busied himself by making his bed and straightening out the room. He felt a gaze on him.

"Mione, I don't like it when people watch me clean," Ron said in a snotty voice. He heard Hermione laugh. She set down her tray and put her hands in her lap.

"I'm sorry, it's just something I thought that I'd never see, and I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss a second of it!"

At that comment, Ron picked up a nearby pillow and threw it at Hermione. She caught it with ease.

"Ronald Weasley, you don't throw pillows at sick people!"

Ron strode over to Hermione's bed, put his face about a foot away from hers, and said, "I do when they're being snotty!" When he said "snotty" he spit a little. Hermione groaned and wiped the spit from her face.

"Eeew! Ron germs!" squealed Hermione.

"You don't seem to mind my germs when I do this!" Ron pressed his lips ever so firmly on hers. Hermione held for a little bit, then she broke away.

"Ron, I'm sick," she said quietly, still looking at his lips.

"I don't care," Ron replied, kissing her again. This time Ron felt Hermione melt into the kiss, and he broke away reluctantly. Hermione moved over to one side of the bed, and Ron sat next to her. Hermione put her head on Ron's shoulder.

"Ron?" said Hermione quietly.

"Yeah, Mione?"

"Thank you for taking care of me. It means so much to me, and it feels good to have someone dote over me like this," she said, snuggling closer to Ron.

Ron put his arm around her shoulders, "You're welcome, it's been my pleasure."

The two sat there for awhile quietly. After a couple of minutes, Ron looked at Hermione's face and saw that she was asleep. Not wanting to get up and disturb her, Ron figured that he might as well close his eyes and take a nap as well.

Ron awoke about an hour later to a knocking at the door. As the door opened he could hear Harry's voice. "Mate, I know you love her and all, but can't you keep your hands off of her for two minutes! She's sick!" Harry finished opening the door. When he saw a sleepy-eyed Ron with his arm around a sleeping Hermione, he stopped and whispered, "Sorry Ron, I didn't know she was sleeping."

"It's alright. Hey, my arm is falling asleep, do you think you could help me?"

Harry walked over to the bed and helped Ron ease his arm off of Hermione's shoulders without moving Hermione more than necessary. Hermione shifted a bit when Ron's arm was taken away, but continued to sleep soundly. Harry then steadied Hermione's legs and Ron took her shoulders and they lied her down and covered her up on the bed. Ron saw a faint smile on Hermione's face.

"One moment," Ron whispered to Harry. He quickly wrote a note saying that he'd be back to check on her in awhile, so Hermione wouldn't be worried when she woke up and Ron wasn't there. Then he nodded at Harry and the two left the room.

"So, what do you want to do?" Harry asked Ron.

"How about a game of Quidditch? Just one-on-one? We haven't done that in ages!"

"You're on! I hope you don't mind be pummeled!" said Harry, racing to get his broom.

Ron went to the shed to get his broom and met Harry out in the large field behind his house. "Okay, we'll play one "hoop" each. If I get it in that tree, I score, if you get it in this tree, you score. But I really don't see that happening anytime soon," Ron said with a wry grin. He pointed out the two trees. "First one to….10 goals? How does that sound?"

"Sounds great…see ya up there!" Harry said as he kicked off toward the sky. Ron quickly kicked off behind him. Harry had been carrying the quaffle, so Ron quickly got to his tree to defend it. Harry threw the quaffle hard, but Ron's keeper reflexes allowed him to catch the ball easily.

"Remember, you may have been the younger seeker in 100 years, but I'm still a keeper!" Ron warned. He flew toward the tree Harry was guarding.

"Oh, but you're forgetting something. You may be a keeper, but I've got – oof! – talent," retorted Harry as he caught Ron's attempt at a goal.

The two had been playing for an hour, and the score was only 2-1 in favor of Harry. Ginny came outside with her hands on her hips. "Is this all that you're going to do all day? Play Quidditch without me!"

"Of course not! Get your broom! You can help Ron here, he needs it!" said Harry, smiling.

Ginny went to the shed to get her broom. When she had it, she ran to the field, kicked off, and joined Harry and Ron in the air.

"I have a better idea than helping either of you," said Ginny, a mischievous look on her face.

"Do I want to know?" asked Ron.

"You'll find out if you want to or not," said Ginny simply. She flew back to the ground and went into the shed one more time. The boys looked at each other, shrugged, then went back to playing. Ron was zooming toward Harry with the quaffle in his hand when he felt a whoosh next to his ear. He turned his head and Harry grabbed the quaffle out of his hands. Ron hardly noticed, because he saw what had nearly beaned him: a bludger. Ginny had gotten the bludgers out and decided to play beater. Not only was she going to not help either of them, she was going to go out of her way to interfere with them both! _Of course, she's going to go for me, because I'm the brother, and not the boyfriend. Wow, boyfriend. Harry is Ginny's _boyfriend_. That sounds so weird…_

Just then, a bludger hit Harry's leg and he wobbled on his broom. _Okay, so maybe she _will_ go for Harry. Ugh, that sounds so dirty…_ Ron shook the thought out of his head and went back to the game. He took advantage of Harry's moment of weakness and grabbed the quaffle from his hands, like Harry had done just minutes before. Ron scored, then started to descend.

"What're you doing mate? Do you realize that I'm still winning?" Harry asked, befuddled.

"We've been out here for almost two hours. We're never going to get to the end of the game, and I wrote Hermione that note saying that I would check on her. Can you imagine what she would do if I didn't check up on her because I was playing Quidditch!" Ron exclaimed. He touched the ground, put his broom back into the shed, then hurried into the house. _Did I seriously just end Quidditch early so I could see Mione? Bloody Hell I must have it bad!_

A/N: Thanks to those who keep reading and reviewing! I have had a couple people ask if the last chapter was it, and no it was not. I will let you all know when the last chapter has ended. Hopefully by then I'll have an idea for another story! But don't worry...this story will keep coming!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ron walked into Bill's room to see Hermione staring out the window into the backyard, watching Harry and Ginny. Ron cleared his throat and Hermione turned around.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked.

"What do you mean? I promised that I would come and check on you. I didn't want you to think that I was going to forget about that, especially for Quidditch," replied Ron, somewhat bewildered. Hermione smirked at him. "What's that look for?"

Hermione smiled even wider, and her eyes grew bright. "You must have it bad!"

"What? What do you mean?" Ron asked. _Can she read my mind?_

"You stopped playing Quidditch, and from what I heard, before the game was done, to come check up on _me_," explained Hermione, blushing slightly.

"Yeah, well, I guess I do," said Ron, looking at the floor and shuffling his feet. His ears were turning pink. He kept looking down, not wanting to show his beet red face to Hermione, when he felt something hit his front.

"Oof!" he cried. Then he felt arms wrap around his torso and soft hair under his cheek. Ron realized that Hermione had gotten up from the bed and rushed over to embrace him in the few seconds that he was looking down. He wrapped his arms around her, chills going up his spine. _I can't believe that this still happens. I have Mione, but she still makes me blush and sends chills up my spine!_

Ron took one arm from around Hermione, brought it to her chin and gently tilted her chin up so that her face was looking directly at his. Then he slowly brought his face to hers, gently brushing his lips over hers. This time the chills went through his entire body, and his heart was beating so hard that he felt as though it would beat out of his chest. Hermione put her arms around Ron's neck and kissed him harder. After a couple of minutes, Ron reluctantly broke away.

"What's wrong?" asked Hermione, a pout on her lips. Ron couldn't resist it. He gave her one more small kiss before breaking away again.

"You're sick and should be in bed," said Ron wisely.

"No, really, I'm feeling much better now," said Hermione, leaning in for another kiss. Ron put his hand up to her lips.

"Nuh, uh, uh! You get back into bed and rest. I'll come check up on you again later. Maybe you'll be feeling better," Ron said with a sly grin. Hermione playfully huffed a little as she went back to her bed. Ron pulled the blankets up around her and gave her a kiss on the forehead before heading toward the door. "I'll be back in a little while," said Ron. He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Ron ran into Harry on his way back downstairs. "How's Hermione?" he asked casually, although he had a wider-than-usual grin on his face.

"She's fine, so I'm having a bit of fun," said Ron.

"Yes? How so?"

_How do I say this without saying anything embarrassing?_ "She's….antsy," said Ron. "She obviously didn't need to stay in bed for awhile, but I assured her that I thought that she needed some more rest, and sent her to bed," he finished with a wicked grin on his face.

"How long do you think she'll last up there?" asked Harry.

"Oh, I don't know. 5….4….3….2…." Suddenly Hermione came bounding down the stairs to the boys.

"Hi Harry, how're you?" Hermione asked brightly.

"Well, I'm fine. Aren't you supposed to be in bed or something?" Harry gave a sideways glance at Ron and smiled.

"Uh….well, I'm really feeling much better now, but thank you for your concern," said Hermione. "Well, I'm off to find Ginny!" Hermione pecked Ron on the cheek and bounded down the rest of the stairs to find Ginny.

"Wow mate, what have you _done_ to her?" Harry asked with disbelief in his voice.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron, bewildered.

"She's, she's _giddy_!" said Harry in amazement.

"Giddy?"

"Yeah, giddy. I've never seen her like that before. But then, I've never seen you leave Quidditch early." Ron blushed at this comment.

"I'm sure if you look at yourself, you'll see a change in you because of Ginny."

"Oh, no. I'm my own man. No woman will ever change me," said Harry, pounding his chest.

"Oh, I'm sure. How about last night at dinner when you were going to have a second slice of pie, but Ginny gave you that look?"

"What look?" Harry asked innocently.

"That look saying 'Don't you dare eat another piece of pie.' Mate, she's mothering you!"

"So?"

"Did you eat the pie?"

"No! You took it before I could even take a second look at it!" said Harry, pointing his finger at Ron.

"Well, you get my point."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyways, why don't you say we go and build up another campfire? It's the perfect night for one," suggested Harry.

"Great idea, mate. You get the firewood and build it, and I'll get the food we need," said Ron. Harry rolled his eyes when Ron mentioned food.

Ron walked into the kitchen to see Mrs. Weasley flitting about doing this and that. "Hey Mum, we're going to have dinner outside around the fire pit tonight, is that alright?"

"Actually, Ron, it's perfect. Your father and I are going out tonight, and the twins are also going…somewhere, I think. You four are on your own tonight. Just make sure to BEHAVE," warned Mrs. Weasley, giving Ron a stern eye.

"I know that you were alone on the camping trip, but there was nothing I could say then, considering I had four friends and not two couples on my hands. But this time, I know I have two couples, so here is your warning," Mrs. Weasley added. Ron just nodded his head and didn't say anything.

"Now, we'll be back tonight. I don't know when, but it'll be sometime tonight. Remember: we could apparate at any moment!" With that Mrs. Weasley left the room.

Ron mumbled a little under his breath as he got the stuff together, and then stopped. The four had the house all to themselves tonight! Ron dashed from the kitchen to the backyard, where Harry was putting matches to kindling, getting the fire going.

"Hey, mate, you'll never guess what's ours tonight," said Ron, panting.

"What? The fire pit? If so, that's not really a big deal."

"No, the house!"

"Seriously? That's awesome! What do you think we should do?"

"It can't be anything drastic. My mum's given me stern warnings and a look to go along with them. Before she left the room she reminded me that she and dad can apparate at any moment," said Ron.

"Do you think she'd mind if the other guys came over?"

"I don't think so, as long as we're not too messy or rowdy," said Ron, shrugging.

"Sounds great. I'll call Dean, and why don't you floo Seamus?" suggested Harry.

"Sounds good. I'll go and let Hermione and Ginny know, too," said Ron.

"He he, I almost forgot about them! Yeah, we should probably tell them, but _please_ don't tell them that I almost forgot them," said Harry.

"Wouldn't dream of it…at least not tonight," said Ron. "You'd better watch yourself I the future, though!"

Ron ran up the stairs. _I seem to be doing a lot of running today_. "Mione, Ginny!"

Ginny poked her head out of her room, "What? Why are you yelling up and down the hall Ron?"

"Because I wanted to let you know that we have the house to ourselves," explained Ron, out of breath yet again.

"Really? That's great! What should we do?" said Hermione.

"Well, Harry and I were getting the campfire ready for tonight, and thought it'd be cool to have Dean and Seamus over.

"Yeah, that's cool. How about Neville, too?" suggested Hermione.

"Well, really? You think so?" Ron liked Neville and all, but didn't know if he really wanted him over that night. Neville could be so…quirky.

"Ronald Weasley, you aren't actually thinking of excluding him, are you?" Hermione chastised, her hands on her hips.

"No, no, of course not! I'll floo Neville right after I floo Seamus," said Ron, looking at the ground. _Wow, can she make me feel guilty quickly_.

Ron raced, yet again, down the stairs to the kitchen fireplace. He flooed Seamus and Neville, who were both excited to come. He then went out back to check on Harry, the fire, and to see if Dean was coming.

"Yeah, Dean said he'd love to come. How about Seamus?" asked Harry.

"He's coming. So is Neville," responded Ron. Harry raised his eyebrow in surprise, but didn't seem to care.

"Well, I'd better start to get things set up," said Ron.

"Sounds like a good idea," replied Harry. So Ron walked toward the house, excited to get everything put together for what should prove to be a great night.

A/N: Ooh...what's going to happen! I hope you enjoy, please keep reviewing!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Nor do I own Movin' Out or Rent, or any music that comes from them.

First Ron and Harry set out the picnic tables. This time they did it manually, and decided to not try magic. It would not do for Mrs. Weasley to pop in on them and see the doors taken apart or worse…in a million pieces. Once they had finished with that, Harry hooked up Mr. Weasley's muggle stereo system. Harry turned out to be a whiz a wiring, and he had speakers set up outside in no time.

"Wow mate, you're brilliant at that! How'd you ever learn to do that?" asked Ron in amazement.

"I just picked it up here or there. I've always found stuff like that fascinating, and I guess it just grew on me. It's kind of like wizarding chess, you need strategy," replied Harry.

"Oh, cool, you'll have to show me. I'm no muggle fanatic like my dad, but it's so cool, and this system has great bass!"

"Hey, why don't Ginny and I run to the store? I think we need more s'mores supplies, and we could pick up some soda and such," suggested Harry.

"Sounds good, I'll get the tables set up with bowls and stuff," said Ron. Harry ran into the house to get Ginny, and Ron started to get the chips and other food that they already had from the kitchen. Ron turned the muggle stereo on, and started moving to the beat of the music. He started to hum along, and soon he was semi-dancing and singing at the top of his lungs while setting out the food.

"And eve though I know the river is wide I walk down every evening and stand on the shore, and try to cross to the opposite side so I can finally find what I've been looking for. In the middle of the night…" sang Ron as he danced around the yard. "I'm not sure about a life after this, God knows I've never been a spiritual man. Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river runs to the –" Ron felt eyes on him, and he suddenly stopped dancing and singing. He turned around slowly, his face burning. Just as he thought: Hermione was standing there, her face beet red and her hand over her mouth in attempt to not laugh out loud. When she saw Ron's face of horror at the idea of being caught, she couldn't hold it any longer; she doubled over and started to laugh.

"I'm….sorry….Ron, but you….were….just…so…cute!" Hermione said between laughs. Ron put a hurt look on her face, and Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Are you done yet?" asked Ron impatiently.

"Yes, yes, I'm done. I'm sorry Ron, but you have to admit, you would have done the same thing if you saw me, or even better, Harry, doing the same thing."

Ron thought for a moment about Harry dancing and singing in the yard, then he laughed out loud. "Yeah, you're right!" As Ron said this, the song changed to another Billy Joel song.

"Don't go changing, to try and please me, you never let me down before…" crooned the voice coming out of the speakers. Ron took Hermione's hands in his own. He took one of her hands and placed it on his waist, and then placed his now-empty hand on her waist. He raised her other hand in the air, and they started to dance.

"Don't imagine you're too familiar, and I don't see you anymore, I wouldn't leave you in times of trouble we never could have come this far…" Ron sang with the music, looking into Hermione's eyes. He could see her tear up. _Oh no, please don't cry, please don't cry_.

Ron looked closer, and saw that Hermione was also smiling. She laid her head on Ron's chest, and his heart skipped a beat. He could feel vibrations as he sang and Hermione's head laid on him.

He took Hermione's hands in his own again, and moved them so they were around his neck, then he put his own arms around her waist as they continued to sway back and forth slowly. Hermione looked up at him and smiled sweetly. He took her chin in one hand and brought her face up so he could kiss her gently.

When the song was over they stood there for a minute, embracing each other. Hermione sighed happily, and Ron could feel her breath as her head was against his chest again.

"What is it?" Ron asked quietly.

"I didn't know you could sing so well," said Hermione into his chest. Ron didn't know what to say. _She thinks that I sing well? I guess I'll be singing more often!_

"I also didn't know you could be so romantic," she continued. Ron grinned to himself. _Ha! Ron Weasley is romantic! No one at school would ever have believed it!_ Ron couldn't help but hold his head just a tad bit higher.

Ron got a mischievous glint in his eye. "You wanna hear another one?" Hermione nodded, so Ron started singing again. "Live in my house, I'll be your shelter, just pay me back with 1,000 kisses, be my lover, and I'll cover you…" Ron started to sing. He started to dance with Hermione again, except this time more upbeat and more fun. Hermione laughed as they "danced" seeing as they really didn't know what they were doing. _It's more fun that way_, mused Ron. To Ron's astonishment, Hermione chimed in with him after the first line.

"Open your door, I'll be your tenant, don't got much baggage to lay at your feet, but sweet kisses I've got to spare, I'll be there and I'll cover you…" Ron spun Hermione around and her skirt twirled as she did.

"Ahem." Ron spun Hermione around so he could see who was watching them. It was Neville.

"Oh, hey Neville," said Ron.

Hermione turned so she could also see Neville. "Hi, Neville! How're you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Umm…did I interrupt something here?" Ron's ears began to turn pink.

"No, nothing, we were just a….getting set up," said Hermione, her cheeks beginning to flush.

"Oh good. Can I help with anything? I'm so glad you invited me. I've been so bored!" said Neville.

"Oh, it's no problem! Seamus and Dean are coming, too," said Hermione.

"Hey Neville, could you help me move these chairs here over by the fire pit?" asked Ron, picking up a chair.

"Oh, sure! Anything I can do to help," said Neville as he picked up another chair.

As Ron sat down the last chair, Harry and Ginny returned with the rest of the snacks and soda. Hermione hurried to get the s'mores ingredients set out, while Ron got the tri-pod out so they could cook burgers over the fire that was now burning steadily.

"I wonder when Seamus and Dean are going to get here," said Neville. He seemed nervous to be around the two couples. _I wonder if he feels like the 5th wheel_, thought Ron.

As Ron poked the fire a bit more, he heard two pops coming from near the house. He looked up, and was relieved to see Dean and Seamus.

"Hey guys!" said Harry, setting down the plate of buns that he had been carrying.

"When's dinner gonna be ready? I'm famished!" said Dean, rubbing his stomach.

The others laughed at Dean's perfect imitation of Ron. Ron just shook his head and put some burgers onto the tripod. The others sat down as he did so, and they started talking about their summers. Dean talked about seeing the West Ham United football team play. He tried once again to explain the game to those who had grown up in the wizarding world, and once again had no success. Seamus brought the conversation back to Quidditch and told about the Chudley Cannons games he'd been to that summer. Ron and Harry were leaning so far forward listening that Hermione had to grab the back of Ron's shirt to keep him from falling into the fire. He was startled back to reality when he felt a tug on his shirt, and looked at Hermione sheepishly as she pulled him back to his chair.

"Maybe you should check on the burgers. We don't want a burnt dinner," Hermione whispered into his ear. Shivers went down his spine.

"Hey you two, if you're going to do that, get a room!" exclaimed Seamus, a huge grin on his face. Ron was about to retort, then saw that Seamus's eyes weren't on him and Hermione. They were on Harry and Ginny, who were snogging away in Harry's chair.

"Harry!" yelled Ron. Harry looked up slowly, fear in his eyes. "What do you think you're doing to my little sister!"

"Relax Ron, it's not as if we haven't done this before," said Ginny. Harry looked at her with a horrified expression on his face.

"Ginny, I don't think you should say anything to make the situation worse…"

"Oh, shut it Harry. I'm growing up. I'm only a year younger than the rest of you here, and Ron needs to realize that." As if to prove her point, she planted her lips onto Harry's again. When they broke away, she glared at Ron and sat down in her own chair once again.

"Hey Ron, why don't we help you with these burgers," said Dean as he, Seamus, and Neville started putting the finished burgers on to a plate. They carried the burgers to the picnic table and started getting their plates together.

Ron sat still, staring daggers at Harry. Hermione put her hand on Ron's shoulder. "Ron, c'mon. Ginny's right, she's growing up. Besides, _it's not as if we don't do that ourselves_," Hermione whispered. Ron blushed a bit when she said that. It was almost more how she said it rather than what she said. He could feel her breath in his ear, and heat started to pump through his veins. He took his glare away from Harry, gave Ginny a quick glare, not wanting to seem like he was backing down, then went to get his own food.

_Hermione's right, of course, but Ginny's my _littlesister_. She shouldn't be going around snogging guys, especially her brother's best friend! Oh, well. I'll eat something. That always makes me feel better…_

Ron filled his plate to the brim and sat down next to Hermione. She smiled at him. _Why should I be worrying about Ginny? Harry's my best mate. He'll take care of her. I'll just concern myself with Hermione for now._ Ron bit into his burger and tried to smile, but his mouth was too full. She laughed a little, then concentrated on her own dinner.

A/N: Keep the reviews coming! I just need one more to break 100! Thanks for your continued support!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ron sat back and patted his stomach. "Well, I'm full," he said.

Everyone looked at him, their eyes growing wide.

"What? Can't I have enough to eat?"

"No!" the others shouted in unison.

"Ron, are you feeling alright?" asked Hermione, feeling his forehead. He pushed it away.

"Yes, of course I'm fine! You're just upset because I'm done eating before you are, you pig," Ron said, a twinkle in his eye. Hermione shoved him playfully, then went back to her dinner.

"So, what should we do tonight?" asked Dean.

"I don't know. There's really nothing to do, is there?" asked Seamus. "I mean, all the girls here are taken, so what's the fun in that?" Hermione and Ginny both gave him glares.

"What about a big game of hide and seek?" suggested Ginny. The guys just stared at her, and Hermione smiled. "What? We could play on the entire property, and in the neighborhood. As long as we're quiet, the neighbors won't do anything. C'mon, it'll be tons of fun!"

"I think it sounds like a good idea," said Harry.

"Of course you do, Ginny thought of it," said Seamus. "But there's nothing that I can think of to do. I'm in."

"I guess I am, too. Neville?" said Dean.

"Yeah, I'll play."

"I'm assuming that you two are in, also?" Dean asked Ron and Hermione.

"Of course. What would we do with all of you guys hiding anyway?" said Ron, realizing too late that it was a bad thing to say.

"Oooh, I could think of plenty of things I'd be doing with my girlfriend," said Dean with a wry smile on his face. Seamus laughed with him. Harry kept his mouth shut, his eyes glancing at Ginny. Neville just sat there, looking down and moving the dirt around with his foot.

"Let's just get going with it. Who wants to seek first?" asked Hermione.

"I will," said Dean, the wry smile still on his face. "I'll count to 200, since there's so much ground to cover."

"Isn't it normally 100?" asked Ginny.

"Okay, well, let's get going," said Dean. He closed his eyes and started counting. "One….Two….Three…."

The other six ran off into different directions, Neville and Seamus heading out on their own, and the two couples hiding together. Ron grabbed Hermione's hand and led her to the woods that edged his backyard.

"Ron, do you really think this is a smart idea?" asked Hermione in a hushed tone.

"Of course it is. Do you think that I'd bring you here otherwise?" replied Ron, still heading toward the trees.

"Well…alright. But if we get into any danger, _you're_ getting us out of it," replied Hermione.

"Of course, of course. What else is a big, strong boyfriend for?" Ron asked. He quickly pecked Hermione on the lips as they kept walking. They walked for what seemed like a half hour, until they were deep into the woods.

"Ron, do you still know where we are? Because I don't," said Hermione.

"You don't know? Hermione Granger doesn't know something?" Ron said teasingly.

Hermione hit him on the arm. "You'd better know where we are."

"I do. See that bright star up in the sky? The North Star? Well, my house is south of here, so all we have to do is walk away from the star. Besides, we always have 'Point Me'," said Ron. When he said this, his wand left the pocket it had been resting in and spun in the air until it stopped and pointed north. "See? We're fine." Ron looked around and spotted a soft patch of moss. "Why don't we sit down over there?"

"Sounds good to me," replied Hermione. She looked down at her clothes, and then looked at the patch of moss. "Wait. I don't want to get my skirt dirty. I never should've worn a skirt tonight anyway." With that she flicked her wand and mumbled something, and a backpack appeared. From within she pulled out a blanket and laid it on the ground. Then she pulled out a pair of sweaties. "Would you please turn around?" she asked Ron. Ron turned and Hermione pulled the pants up underneath her skirt, then she pulled the skirt over the pants and placed them in the backpack. "You can turn back now," she said. Ron turned to find her sitting on the blanket, patting the spot next to her. "We might as well relax. I think we'll be here for awhile," she said, smiling. Ron sat down next to Hermione, put his arm around her shoulders and they both leaned back against the tree behind them.

"Well, what should we do?" Hermione asked after a minute.

"You can never just sit still, can you?" asked Ron, smiling. "You always have to be doing something."

"No, I don't!" protested Hermione.

"Yes, you do. See? You're picking an argument with me because you need to do something," Ron said.

"Okay, so maybe you're right," said Hermione.

"Do my ears deceive me? Not only do I know something that you don't, but you just admitted that I was right!" exclaimed Ron. "This can't be real, I must be dreaming! Mione, pinch me!"

"Oh, shut up," said Hermione.

"Make me," replied Ron.

"Maybe I will," retorted Hermione. She slowly leaned her head toward Ron's. The anticipation made Ron shiver.

_It's amazing how she still makes me quiver_, thought Ron. He closed his eyes and waited to receive the kiss, but to his surprise it never came. He opened his eyes to see what was going on, when he felt a vibrating and wet lips on his cheek, and a loud, elephant-like noise next to his ear. Then he heard giggling.

"Mione!" exclaimed Ron as he wiped the spit from his cheek. This raspberry had been particularly wet. He looked at Hermione's face, which looked childishly giddy. He couldn't resist it. He leaned in slowly, his mouth puckered for a kiss, his eyes closed. Then he pressed his lips ever so lightly upon Hermione's cheek and blew. He blew as hard as he could, and he could hear Hermione's uncontrollable giggling through the noise he was making. When he was out of air, he took Hermione's chin in his hand gently and turned her face so he could kiss her properly.

Ron opened his eyes as he broke away gently from their kiss. He looked into Hermione's brown eyes in amazement. It was so dark, and yet it seemed as if she glowed in the moonlight. Her eyes glowed the brightest, and suddenly Ron felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. He didn't have the faintest idea of how to express it. It was as if a bubble was inside of him, and he didn't want to burst it, but at the same time, he wanted to let it out so the entire world could see and know the happiness he was feeling. At that moment, Ron discovered what he had seemed to know all along, deep down. _She's the one. Mione is the one that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with_. Ron looked deep into Hermione's eyes and saw all sorts of wonderful things. He saw the traits that he loved such as beauty, determination, strength, courage, and intelligence, but at the same time he saw curiosity, awe, and…could it be? Ron thought that he saw love in her eyes. Pure, true love. He couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I love you," said Ron quietly. He saw Hermione's eyes become consumed by the curiousness that had been in them before. _Bloody hell, what did I have to go and say that for?_ They had never said "love" in a serious manner since they had been together. They had said it flippantly, and in passing, but never like this. _I'm going to push her away with this. This is going too fast, and I'm probably scaring her away_, thought Ron.

Ron looked into Hermione's eyes again. This time he couldn't read them, for there were tears brimming in her eyes. _Merlin's beard! Now I've made her cry. What a great boyfriend I am…_

"I'm sorry Mione, I didn't mean to say it. I mean, I did, but if it upsets you I'll take it back, I—­" Ron stopped as Hermione put her finger to his lips in order to silence him. She shook her head, tears still glistening, yet not falling.

After a minute Ron couldn't stand the silence any longer. "What's wrong, Mione?"

"Nothing's wrong Ron. Everything's just right," said Hermione as she leaned into his chest.

"Then, then why are you crying?" he asked timidly.

Hermione chuckled slightly. "Oh, Ron. I'm not crying because I'm upset. I'm crying because I'm happy."

Ron didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything for a minute. He just stared down at Hermione with something of a confused look on his face. When Hermione finally lifted her face the tears were gone, although her eyes were still moist from them. They glittered in the moonlight. Ron's heart skipped a beat as Hermione smiled shyly at him. She leaned closer and gingerly pressed her lips against Ron's. He closed his eyes and melted into the kiss, and was reluctant to let go when Hermione pulled away. Ron was dismayed to see tears in Hermione's eyes once again when he opened his.

This time Ron didn't say anything. He just sat there, hoping that the tears would go away.

"Did you…did you really mean that?" asked Hermione.

"Mean what?" asked Ron quickly. He was too distressed by the tears to realize what Hermione was talking about.

"When you, when you said you loved me," replied Hermione, the tears still threatening to fall.

"Yes. Of course I did," replied Ron, stroking her back. _This must be what it feels like to be a deer caught in headlights,_ Ron thought. He felt his eyes growing wide at the prospect of Hermione crying again. _Please don't cry, please don't cry_, Ron wished to himself. His wishing was to no avail, though. Suddenly the tears began to fall from Hermione's eyes and she threw her arms around Ron and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Oh, Ron!" she exclaimed as she clung to him. Ron could hear her breathing heavily, and pulled her back from him in order to get a better look at her. Her face glistened in the moonlight, and Ron could see where the tears had streaked down her cheeks. Her eyes were still wet, and they glittered. Through all these signs of sadness, though, was a smile reaching from ear to ear. _She's happy? Can that be true? These are tears of happiness?_ Ron hoped it was true, although he wished that Hermione wouldn't cry when she was happy. He didn't understand why girls had to cry when they were happy. _Maybe it's just to confuse us guys_.

Hermione put her arms around Ron's neck and kissed him fiercely on the lips. Ron had never had a kiss with more feeling and emotion put into it. He could the wetness on her tearstained cheeks as he held her face in his hands. He wiped the wetness from her cheeks then put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. At that moment he felt as if he had to be as close to Hermione as possible. As they kissed, the surmounting happiness he had felt earlier began to rise again, and again he couldn't think of a way to release it.

Hermione pulled away to catch her breath. When she had caught her breath, she hugged Ron tightly and whispered into his year, "I love you, too." When Ron heard this his eyes started to water. As a single tear fell from his eye he felt the happiness inside of him being released. It felt so wonderful. _So this is why they cry…_

A/N: I am so sorry for how long this has taken me! I moved from the place I was staying this summer back home, and then I painted my room,and then I had to unpack because it's a completely new house, and then we had guests, and now I'm packing to move back to school. But it's finally here. And I promise, this is not the end. I hope to get more out to you soon! I hope you enjoy! Also, thanks for getting me to the milestone of 10,000 hits!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ron and Hermione sat and held each other for what seemed like hours. In reality it was only about 15 minutes. They were so content and relaxed that they jumped when they heard the rustle of leaves behind them. It was almost as if they had woken up.

"Found you!" shouted Dean. "Did I _interrupt_ anything?" he added mischievously.

"No, sorry mate. Nothing going on here," said Ron, winking at Hermione. He noticed her cheeks become pink as he did so.

Much to Ron's dismay, Hermione's face fell. "Nothing! You call that nothing! All that I did for you tonight, that doesn't mean anything to you?" Ron's eyes grew wide in horror. _What did I say now! Dean didn't interrupt anything! Of course it meant something! I love her, and she loves me, but we were saying that as Dean walked up!_

Hermione walked behind Dean so he couldn't see her face. Ron assumed that she felt like she was going to cry and didn't want Dean to see, but when Dean wasn't looking at her, Hermione caught Ron's eye and winked. Ron decided to play along.

"Well, I mean, it's not that it hasn't been done before…" Ron trailed off. Dean looked intrigued by the conversation going on between the couple.

"What? Did you just say what I think you said!" Hermione said quietly, but dangerously. Ron could nearly see the steam coming out of her ears, and he was sure that Dean noticed it too. _Wow, is she a good actress_, thought Ron.

"Oh, c'mon Herm. It's not like other girls haven't –"

"RONALD WEASLEY YOU KNOW I DON'T LIKE THAT NAME, AND I DON'T CARE WHAT OTHER GIRLS HAVE DONE TO YOU, DO TO YOU, OR DON'T DO TO YOU!"

Dean's eyes were lit up. Ron could tell that he wanted to know every detail of what supposedly had happened between Ron and other girls. In truth, nothing had really happened, except that embarrassing incident with Lavender during their 6th year. Ron looked at Hermione and saw that her face was bright red, and she was breathing hard after her yelling fit.

"Mione, you know that I've never –"

"Just shut up Ron. Keep your bloody trap shut! You know, maybe going out with you was a mistake. You obviously don't care about me, or what I do for you, so maybe we should just call it quits," said Hermione. Ron was becoming nervous. This was way too real. He wished that Dean would turn away so Hermione could give him another wink or other sign that told him that she was still acting.

"Dean?" Hermione said. Dean got a nervous look on his face. Hermione's shouting was fun when it wasn't him that was about to be yelled at. He had nothing to worry about, though.

"Yeah?" Dean replied cautiously.

"Are we the first ones that you found?"

"Yeah, you are."

"Good, then I'm off to find the others. Ronald, I hope that you get lost and a Blast-Ended Skrewt finds you before you figure out where you are," said Hermione. With that, she sauntered off, careful to look at the stars to make sure she was headed in the right direction.

Once she was out of sight, Dean whistled. "Wow mate, that was quite the row you had. Tell me, what did you do to make that happen? I know you denied something, but what could be that bad?"

Even after all that, Dean wanted to find out what Ron and Hermione had done in the woods.

"I don't know what I did, or didn't do," replied Ron, looking at the ground. He started to feel somewhat nauseous. The fact that Hermione had left made him wonder even more if she really was upset at him. "I just told her I love her and—"

"Wait, you told her that you love her? Mate, what did you do that for!" asked Dean.

"Because I do," said Ron simply. "I love Hermione." The words felt wonderful coming from his mouth. He wanted to say it again, but feared that Dean would think him crazier than he already thought Ron was.

"But look at what happened! She broke up with you, mate. Now it was all for nothing," said Dean. He started to walk toward the edge of the forest in the same path that Hermione had.

"I think I'm going to catch up with her, and try to fix this," said Ron.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, mate. Don't you think she wants to be left alone?"

"Usually that's the case, but this time I need to talk to her right away," said Ron as he hurried to catch up with Hermione.

_I hope she was really just acting. Oh, please let her be just acting…_ Ron started to jog, and by the time he caught up to Hermione, he was panting.

"Ron! Why are you breathing so hard?" asked Hermione as she stopped to let him catch his breath.

"I…_gasp_…had to…_gasp_…catch up with you," said Ron, regaining his normal breathing pattern.

"Why on earth did you have to do that?" asked Hermione. Ron realized that Hermione was mad at him.

_Bloody hell, now I have to explain myself…_

"Welllll, I ah…"

"Oh, Ron, you can say it."

"Ithoughtthatyouwerereallymadatme," mumbled Ron quickly, hoping Hermione wouldn't hear, but be satisfied. His efforts were not rewarded, though.

"What did you say?" asked Hermione carefully.

"I thought that you might really be mad at me, but I can see now that you're not, so let's just forget it," said Ron, looking at the ground.

"Oh Ron, you didn't have to be worried about that, I was just going along with the game," Hermione said, chuckling a bit. She put her arm around Ron's shoulders, and Ron sighed.

"What is it now?" asked Hermione with a concerned tone in her voice.

"I just can't believe I was so stupid! I mean, I was the one who started the bloody game, but you were just so damn convincing…."

"Ronald Weasley," chided Hermione at Ron's swearing.

"Sorry," he said meekly.

They stood there for a bit, waiting for Dean. When he caught up he looked at them suspiciously.

"What's going on here?" he asked, surprised at the contact between Ron and Hermione. _He still thinks were on the outs_, thought Ron.

"Dean, it was all a joke. Nothing's wrong. We're fine," said Hermione.

Dean looked from Hermione to Ron, then from Ron to Hermione. His mouth opened into a huge grin.

"What?" asked Ron.

"You did it! You actually did it Ron, and Hermione didn't run away!"

"I did what, Dean?"

"You told her you loved her!" exclaimed Dean.

"Ssssso?" stumbled Ron.

"Mate, we've been waiting for this for years! I mean, first you two start dating, which we've all been waiting for, and now this! Next thing you know, you two will be married, just wait," said Dean excitedly.

Ron went stiff at the word marriage, and he knew that Hermione felt it, since her arm was still around his shoulders. He peeked at her with the corner of his eye without moving. He saw Hermione's eyes open wide. _I wonder what she's thinking. Is she scared at the idea of marriage? Disgusted? I mean, I've always hoped that we'd end up there…someday. Talking about it now is way, way too soon. Bloody hell, Dean…_

Hermione took her arm from around Ron's shoulders. "Why don't we go and find the others?" she suggested quickly. She also seemed a little stiff. Ron hesitated, then took her hand as they walked out of the woods. They both walked off, preoccupied, as Dean hurried ahead in search of the others.

A/N: Sorry for the long interim between chapters, but you'll have to live with it :) I'm back at school, and the homework load and work load are much bigger, but I promise to get the chapters out as soon as I can! Thanks for staying with me!


	18. Chapter 18

Ron, Hermione, and Dean headed toward the edge of the woods. They walked very quietly and slowly as to catch any sound that might let them know of others hiding near them. They were about to leave the cover of the trees when they heard a twig snap to their left. Their heads turned simultaneously as they heard some mutterings. It sounded like Neville, but it sounded like he wasn't alone. Ron put his fingers to his lips to let the others know to keep silent, and he crept over to the area where they had heard Neville. Hermione followed close behind him, her hand grasping the back of his shirt. Dean followed both of them.

Ron turned slightly to his left as he heard another sound, Hermione followed him, still clutching his shirt, and Dean followed both of them.

"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted. Hermione stood there, frozen, her mouth hanging wide open.

"What?" asked Dean, walking around Ron to look. "Merlin's beard! Neville's got himself a girl!"

Indeed he did. They had caught Neville and Luna snogging in the trees.

"Luna, when did you get here?" asked Hermione, having gotten over the initial shock and becoming calm long before either of the boys.

"I popped in and found Neville running as everyone was starting to hide," Luna said calmly. The fact that three of her classmates had found her snogging Neville Longbottom did not seem to phase her—but then, nothing ever seemed to phase her.

Neville just sat there, his eyes wide and his mouth moving quickly. He seemed to be stuttering, but no sound was coming from his mouth.

"Way to go, Neville!" said Dean loudly as he walked over and clapped him on the back. "I knew you had it in you!"

"Ha—had what?" asked Neville, stuttering. Dean ignored his question, though.

"Well, we're sorry for having interrupted this love-fest, but we need to go and find the others. You're welcome to join us if you'd like, but I think we'd all understand if you want to stay here," said Dean, looking at the others. Ron and Hermione just nodded, still a little shocked.

"We'll just go back to the house and sit around the campfire while you find the others. I'm sure it won't be long, and we'll keep the fire going," said Luna calmly. She got up gracefully and handed Neville her hand to help him up. Neville's eyes were still wide and he looked from Ron to Hermione to Dean then back to Hermione and Ron. He nodded blankly and they disapparated back to the house.

As they walked away, Ron shook his head. "Wow," he said quickly.

"What?" asked Hermione curiously.

_Oh, oh. I could definitely say the wrong thing here,_ thought Ron. He knew that he could make inferences that would seem very bad to Hermione. He had to choose his words wisely.

"Well, it's just…surprising," said Ron. _Okay, that was good. Surprising could be stated about anyone!_

"What's so surprising?" asked Hermione innocently.

_Oh, I wish that she wasn't so naïve at times!_ "Umm…well, you know," responded Ron.

"No, I don't know," replied Hermione.

"He means it's surprising that Neville got himself a girl," stated Dean, clearly frustrated with the conversation that had been going on between Ron and Hermione.

Hermione stopped walking. _Uh-oh_, thought Ron.

"Why on Earth would that be so surprising?" asked Hermione, putting her hands on her hips. "Neville's a very nice boy. He's so sweet and gentle and caring."

Ron looked at her surprised. "Well, if you like him so much, why don't _you_ date him?" _Bloody hell_, Ron thought. _Wrong thing to say, wrong thing to say_. He winced, waiting for his punishment.

"Ronald Weasley!" shouted Hermione.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it just popped out," Ron said quickly, hoping that she would have pity on him.

"But you were still thinking it!" she replied.

"Hey, what's all this noise going on here?" asked a voice behind them. Ron and Hermione whirled around to see Harry looking at them.

"Thank goodness you're here, mate. I don't know how you ever put up with these two rowing all the time," said Dean, walking over to stand by Harry.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron asked, hoping that the change of subject would work. Just then Ginny walked up and stood next to Harry.

"I'm right here," she said. "So, what is the argument about this time?"

"Ron can't believe that Neville has a girlfriend," said Hermione, glaring at Ron.

"Neville's got a girlfriend! I never thought—" Harry stopped at Hermione shifted her glare over to him. "Uh….maybe we should find Seamus," said Harry, also trying to change the subject.

"Great idea. I think I heard someone head over this way," Dean said, leading the way out of the woods. The five then set out in search for Seamus.

An hour later they were still walking around looking for Seamus.

"Bloody hell, where is he!" said Ron tiredly. "I'm about ready to call it quits."

"Yeah, me too," replied Dean.

"I think that's exactly what we should do," said Hermione. The boys looked at her. Harry's eyebrows were raised, Ron's eyes were wide, and Dean's mouth was hanging open. "What!" Hermione said in answer to their stares. "I'm just as tired as you are. And if you ask me, if he hid this well, he might as well revel in it." With that, Hermione turned on her heels and headed toward the house and the campfire.

"She's right. Besides, we don't want to leave Neville and Luna there for too long," said Ginny, following Hermione. She did not walk away quick enough to miss the shivers running down the boys' spines, though. She turned her head back toward them. "Oh, grow up!"

When Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Dean reached the backyard, they saw Seamus sitting with Neville and Luna. Seamus looked pleased with himself, Neville looked nervous, and Luna looked like…well, Luna.

"I win," said Seamus, smiling smugly.

"How do you win? You gave up," asked Ginny, crossing her arms.

"Oh, who cares? We're back now, and that infernal game is over," said Ron, sitting down hard on one of the benches.

As Hermione sat down next to him she said quietly, "I didn't think it was all that bad." As she said this she looked straight into his eyes. He could see her smile by her eyes, and felt heat rising up his neck and he could feel his ears turning red. She put a hand on his arm to steady herself as she sat down and shivers went up his spine.

_She's right. It wasn't that bad at all. Actually, now that I think of it, it was wonderful_.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

The eight teenagers had been sitting around the campfire for about an hour. No one had really said anything. They were each looking into the campfire, contemplating their own lives. Ron's thoughts were running rapidly through his head.

_Why did Dean bring up marriage? Does he really think that Mione and I are going to be married someday? Do I even want to be married to her? Of course I do! I've liked…no, loved her for as long as I can remember! Why _wouldn't_ I want to marry her? But that's so far ahead. Is it bad to think of it now? Why am I even worrying about it? We have bigger things to worry about right now. We have to figure out what we're all doing for the rest of our lives! But isn't that what I want for the rest of my life? To be married and have children? More specifically, to be married to Mione? But who even says that I'm old enough to even _consider _marriage. These are crazy thoughts. I should worry about now. Right now I have Mione beside me, I have friends around me, and we're content in front of a roaring campfire. Well, I guess by now it's sorta dwindling…_

Ron looked over at Hermione and gave her a half-smile, hoping that she wouldn't see the confusion running through his mind. He did not want to let her know that anything was bothering him. _Especially_ something that Dean said. Dean was just joking around, right? Bluffing? Trying to press his buttons? _Bloody hell, now something that _Dean_ said has me going crazy…_Ron thought, annoyed. He decided to shrug it off for the moment and enjoy the evening. Then he heard exactly what he did not want to hear.

"Ron, Ginny! We're home!" Ron heard Mrs. Weasley call from inside of the house.

"Bloody hell! We've gotta get this cleaned up, and quick!" Ron said, getting up quickly. In the process he jostled Hermione, who had been falling asleep on his shoulder.

"Ron, what are you doing?" she asked sleepily, squinting her eyes.

"My parents are home. They'll go crazy if they see everyone here!" exclaimed Ron.

"Mate, relax. We invited everyone because we figured they wouldn't care, remember?" said Harry calmly. He also sounded like he had been dozing off.

"We're not supposed to be here?" asked Neville nervously. He stood up and looked around quickly. Ron didn't know if he was looking for Mrs. Weasley or for an escape route.

"No, Neville. You're fine where you are. My parents won't care," said Ginny. She waved her hand at Neville, motioning for him to sit back down.

Seamus looked at his watch. "It's about time for me to go anyway. My mum'll be furious if I'm late for curfew again, and if I don't leave soon, I'll fall asleep right here." With that Seamus disapparated with a pop.

"I should be going, too. Thanks for a great night you guys!" said Dean as he, too, disapparated.

"Maybe we should go too, Luna," said Neville, taking her hand. Luna's eyes were barely opened, and she just nodded. _She must also have been sleeping_, Ron thought. They disapparated quietly, just as Ron saw Mrs. Weasley leave the house and walk toward the campfire.

"Well, isn't this an adorable sight? Everyone snuggled up by the campfire, practically asleep. You should all be in bed, so off you go. I'll take care of the fire, you just head right on upstairs," said Mrs. Weasley, shooing Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry into the house while putting out the fire with water from her wand. There was no arguing. They were all extremely sleepy. Except Ron.

_Am I the only one who is still wide awake?_ He thought. _Maybe I'm just over-reacting about all this. Sleep will do me good_. Ron left Hermione at Ginny's door and went onto his own. He stripped down to his boxers and got into bed. Rather than lying awake all night like he thought he would, Ron fell fast asleep within a minute of his head hitting the pillow. He slept soundly through the night, dreaming of the future.

The next morning Ron woke up to hear pots and pans banging in the kitchen. _Mmmm…breakfast!_ He raced down the stairs to find that he was the last one up. He sat down and started to shovel food into his mouth, despite the look he got from Hermione.

"What?" he asked innocently. Hermione just shook her head and went back to her own food.

"I can't believe that I only have one week until I have to go back to Hogwarts," whined Ginny.

"Oh, Ginny. I'm sure that you and Harry will be fine, and I'm sure that he'll be able to visit you," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum, that's not why I'm whining about going back," Ginny protested.

"Sure it is. Now eat your breakfast," replied Mrs. Weasley. Ginny blushed and glanced at Harry, who did likewise.

Ron, on the other hand, did not mind Ginny's return to Hogwarts. No more Ginny meant one less person for him to compete with for Hermione's attention. This feeling left as soon as it came, though, and was replaced by guilt. Hermione was already his girlfriend; he shouldn't feel like he had to compete.

The days until Ginny's departure seemed to creep by for Ron. He couldn't wait to have just the three of them together again. Although it was a nasty thought, and Ron knew it, he also felt that he deserved some time with Harry and Hermione…especially with Hermione. They had been best friends since first year, and Ginny just seemed to somewhat creep into their relationship in the past couple of years. Although, if Ron had thought about it even harder, he would see that all their relationships were changing and evolving. Ron no longer saw he, Harry, and Hermione was siblings. Hermione was now his girlfriend, although Harry was still like a brother. At the same time, Harry was his sister's boyfriend, giving them a different sort of relationship. And Ginny, who had already been a great friend of Ron's and his closest sibling before Hogwarts, was again not only a sibling, but one of Ron's best friends, although he didn't always treat her that way. Of course, Ron did not see past the he and Hermione part, since that was what he was concentrating on at that time.

"Earth to Ron!" Ron shook himself and finally noticed Hermione's hand waving in front of his face. "What do you want to do today?"

"Umm….I don't care," replied Ron, feeling somewhat confused after being so deep in thought.

"Do you want to go and get your nails done with me?" asked Hermione, taking advantage of Ron's confused state.

"Yah, sure…NO!" exclaimed Ron after figuring out what she said. Hermione, Harry, and Ginny all tried to hide snickers behind their hands. The girls were pretty good at it, but Harry couldn't hold it in. He doubled over, laughing so hard that no sound came out. "Get off it!" shouted Ron, and when Harry didn't stop Ron lunged for him. Harry may have been laughing, but his reflexes were quick and he rolled out of the way just as Ron hit the ground. Ron recovered quickly and lunged for Harry again, and this time he got him. Unfortunately, Harry had rolled next to the top of a hill and when Ron lunged for Harry this time they both started to roll down the hill.

The girls looked at each other and smiled. Then they both dove for the hill and started to roll down themselves, laughing the entire way down. By the time the girls were halfway down the boys had gotten up and brushed themselves off. They were waiting for the girls when they got to the bottom.

"Ginny, I think we're in trouble," said Hermione as she stopped rolling to see Ron and Harry smiling over them.

"I think you're right," agreed Ginny as Harry picked her up and threw her in the swimming pond.

"Ronald Weasley, don't you lay a hand on me or I'll…I'll," sputtered Hermione.

"Or you'll what?" replied Ron, giving Hermione a lopsided grin.

"I'll hex you!" cried Hermione.

"Good comeback," replied Ron as he picked Hermione up and threw her into the pond with a splash.

Once Hermione was in the water Ron took off his shoes, socks, and shirt and jumped in the water himself.

"You coming, Harry?" asked Ron as he surfaced and brushed his hair back out of his eyes.

"I don't know, mate. These are my good shorts," replied Harry.

"You gonna let him get away with that?" whispered a voice into his ear. Ron turned toward the voice to see Hermione grinning at him. All of the thoughts that were running through his head earlier left him, and he decided that things were just fine as they were. He wasn't going to try to overanalyze his friendships and relationships anymore. Ron brushed her hand under the water.

"Of course not," he whispered. "Whatever, Harry. You're missing out!" shouted Ron. Hermione gave him an odd look.

"Just trust me," Ron whispered. "And go get Ginny." Hermione squeezed Ron's hand under the water and swam to Ginny. When Ginny started to swim over to Ron Harry got an odd look on his face. Once Ron, Hermione, and Ginny started to confer together Harry started to look somewhat afraid.

When the three broke apart, Ginny started to get out of the water and walk toward Harry. Harry started to back away, smiling but looking frightened of what she was going to do.

"Harry, what are you doing?" asked Ginny, walking slowly toward him. "I just want to sit with you." Harry relaxed somewhat at this and sat down. Instead of sitting down, Ginny fell on Harry and gave him a big hug with all her wet clothing on, making sure to push her body against his to get him as wet as he could.

Ron gritted his teeth. _I don't like this,_ thought the overprotective brother, _but it's for a greater good._

Once Ginny stopped rubbing her clothing on Harry and sat next to him, Harry completely relaxed thinking that the danger was over.

"Whew, it's hot out there," said Ginny loudly. "Don't you think so, Harry?"

"Yah, I guess it is," replied Harry.

"Why don't we sit nearer to the water so we can put our feet in?" suggested Ginny.

Harry gave her an odd look then said, "Okay…" The two got up and found a spot to sit by the deeper part of the pond so they could put their feet in without having to worry about sitting in water.

Once Harry had his feet in the water Ron and Hermione disappeared under the water. "What's going on?" asked Harry, suddenly wary of what the others were doing.

Suddenly Harry felt a tug at his ankles, and before he could look down to see what was happening, Ron and Hermione had tugged him under the water.

When Harry surfaced he shouted, "I'm going to get you for this!" But the others had started running toward the house by this time. It didn't really matter; Harry was smiling anyway.

A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay! I started school in September, and since then things have been crazy! I'm no longer going to try to write stories while I'm at school, because all fanfiction activity seems to stop then. Especially next semester when I'm in teacher book camp! This story will hopefully be done in a chapter or two, and I know the last couple chapters have not been the best. I am getting ideas for a new story, though, and am going to type it up before posting anything to make sure that this big gap doesn't happen again. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat around the campfire, staring into the flames. Hermione shivered slightly, and Ron silently put his arm around her. Other than that no one moved.

Suddenly Ginny pounded her fists in the air and exclaimed, "Oh, I don't want to go to school tomorrow. Dratted school."

"Oh Ginny, don't be such a baby about it," replied Ron. "It's not like you weren't expecting it."

"Shut up Ron. You get to spend all the time you want with your girlfriend," retorted Ginny. At this Harry put his arm around Ginny's shoulders.

"Oh, Ginny. It's not like you won't hear from me," said Harry. "And we've got all the Hogsmeade weekends, and I may be able to fix it so I can floo in sometimes," Harry added gently.

"It won't be the same, Harry," replied Ginny. Ron could hear Ginny start to choke up. _Oh no. She's going to cry. I can't stand it when girls cry._

"Uh, Mione, could you help me get some uh…hot chocolate?" asked Ron.

Hermione gave him a strange look then said, "Sure." The two got up and headed back to the house.

"Why are we getting hot chocolate, Ron?" asked Hermione.

"Because I'd like some," replied Ron.

"No, Ron. There's another reason," replied Hermione.

"Fine. I figured they could use the alone time," said Ron.

"And…" urged Hermione.

"What? Can't I just care for my sister's and friend's well-being?"

"Yes you can, and you do it well, but not in this case," replied Hermione, rather matter-of-factly.

"Fine. I didn't want to see Ginny cry. I hate it when girls cry," said Ron.

"You mean like…like…sniff, this?" asked Hermione. Ron saw tears in her eyes and became alarmed.

"No! Stop it! Don't you cry, too!" he exclaimed.

Hermione laughed and brushed the tears away quickly. "I was just kidding, you know. There's no reason for me to cry." Hermione laughed again as she saw and heard Ron release a large sigh.

"You know, I'm going to miss having Ginny around, but there is a perk to her being gone," said Hermione as she wrapped her arms around Ron's waist.

"And what's that?" asked Ron, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'll have more time with you," replied Hermione, kissing Ron on the nose. Ron returned her kiss with a small kiss on the mouth. They heard some movement from in the house nearby, so they pulled apart and went in to get their hot chocolate.

"Is everything alright here?" asked Hermione from a distance away as she and Ron held mugs of hot chocolate and a bag of marshmallows.

"Yeah, it's all clear," replied Harry. Hermione handed a mug each to Ginny and Harry and returned to her seat by Ron.

Hermione looked up at the sky. Ron looked up to see what she was looking at and saw the most beautiful night in weeks. The sky was clear, the stars shone as brightly as diamonds, and the moon above seemed bigger than ever. He caught his breath and grabbed Hermione's hand. She looked over at him and squeezed his hand, and he felt the old butterflies returning to his stomach.

"You know what we should do tonight?" Hermione asked. Harry shook his head and Ginny just sat there, still a little mopey. "We should sleep out under the stars."

This perked Ginny up. She looked up at Hermione and smiled.

"That's a great idea," replied Harry. "C'mon, Ron, let's go and get the sleeping bags."

As the two boys ran back to the house Hermione took Harry's spot next to Ginny. She sat leaning over on her knees, her hands together.

"So, are you just moping because you don't want to return to school, or is there something else?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's silly, I can handle it," replied Ginny, looking at the ground.

"I promise I won't laugh. You can tell me."

"Well, I'm afraid that if I'm away from Harry for so long, he'll…move on," said Ginny. "I know, it sounds silly, and I know you're going to say that he adores me and whatnot, but I just can't shake the feeling that we'll just…grow apart."

"Oh, Ginny," replied Hermione, putting a comforting arm around her friend. "You're right, he does adore you. And like he said, he'll see you at Hogsmeade, on breaks, and he even said he was going to try and see if he could floo over once in awhile. Do you think he would do that if he didn't want to put any effort into dating you while you were at school?"

"I know you're right, Hermione, but it's not just that. What am I going to do without you and Ron there? I've never been at school without either of you. I don't even really like the girls in my year."

"Hey, don't worry about it. We'll owl, and Ron and I can meet you on Hogsmeade weekends, and you can vent to us anything you need to. Besides, why don't you give the girls in your year a chance? I know I did, and by the end, we all got along well enough," replied Hermione.

"Yeah, I guess. Well, whatever. I know you'll be there if I need you. Hey look, the boys are back." Ginny got up to grab her sleeping bag from Ron. Harry came over to the fire and handed Hermione her sleeping bag.

"Why don't we set up in a row right here?" suggested Ron, pointing to a spot near the fire.

"I have a better idea," replied Ginny. Ron frowned at her. "No, Ron, you're spot is fine, but I don't like the idea of a row. Why don't we lie in a circle with our heads toward each other so we can all be next to one another in some way."

"That's a great idea, Ginny!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Yeah, I like that idea, too," agreed Ron, pulling Hermione next to him by her waist and kissing her on the top of her head.

The four laid out their sleeping bags, went to the house to change and to let Mrs. Weasley know where they were going to be sleeping, and returned to their bags. Harry put out the fire and they crawled in.

Once the other three had fallen asleep, Ron lay on his back with his hands behind his head and thought about the past summer. _So much has happened. I mean, we graduated from Hogwarts! We're fully certified members of the wizarding community, about to head out on our own. And to start it off, we've had a great summer. Ginny and Harry started going out, Mione and I started going out. I do think this has been the best summer ever._

With that Ron fell asleep. The next day Ginny would return to Hogwarts, and the summer would truly be over.

A/N: Thanks so much to all of you who stuck it out with me! I know that altogether the flow may not be right, but I feel proud of it for my first fanfiction! I actually had to look back tonight at some of the first chapters to make sure I was consistent with what I was saying. I didn't remember half the stuff I wrote, and it may sound really stupid, but I started laughing at my own story! I've started another story, but I'm afraid that it won't be out for awhile. I have to think of a title, and get more than half a chapter. I'm probably going to wait until I have a good amount of chapters before I start posting because the upcoming semester is going to be extremely busy and I highly doubt that I'll be writing. I hope you all read my next story, though! Thanks again for reading!


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